Sunlit Heart
by flying-grayson-girl
Summary: After a fallout with her family, Maka Albarn moves to the big city expecting a new, refreshing life with her longtime penpal and friend, Tsubaki, away from the small, smothering town she grew up in. But what she doesn't expect is being targeted as an enemy of the city's witches and their not-so-friendly neighborhood wolf packs-or falling in love with the future alpha. AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this isn't a **_**totally **_**original idea but I didn't realize the similarities I brought in the witches. If you've ever read it, it's called Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. It's not exactly witches in her book and the wolves are something they created in her series, but it's pretty much the same thing. Even down to the savior with a strange tattoo. But the emblem, the tattoo, is what originally gave me the idea (before I remembered Cremer's book at all). It was a heart surrounded by the rays of a sun and it was very, very pretty. It was in the chapel and it was during adoration, but I couldn't help but sketch it. It got stuck in my head and this is what came from it. **

**Anyway, onto the summary.**

**Young, naïve, nineteen year old Maka Albarn has moved to the city and finds herself immersed in her new life. With longtime online friend Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, Maka quickly adjusts after having lived in a small, close knit country town for her entire life. And meanwhile, a white haired red eyed wolf-boy by the name of Soul has finally come of age and has learned that his pack's leaders are conspiring to get rid of some kind of opponent before he leaves for his second rite of passage, one that includes less ceremony and more proving himself as a man. That's when he meets the girl with the sun lit heart on her back in inky black on her upper back. He starts a relationship with her, even though it's against his pack's laws—a law that, if broken, could result in death. But when the witches start telling the pack about an enemy with a sunlit heart inked on the girl's upper back, Soul knows that something is wrong. It's then that he immerses Maka in a life she's never heard of and a plot to kill her that she doesn't understand. And Soul will do anything to protect her from all of it. **

**So, sound good? I think it does. Albeit, a little bit of a lengthy description but I like it. **

**Now, time for the story.**

**Chapter 1**

The long drive over, Maka dragged her feet as she shuffled towards the door marked by the number 106. She pulled her bags behind her and carried one on her shoulder. Yawning, she found that they seemed to be getting heavier and heavier with each step. She barely made it to the door and knocked before she leaned against the doorway, finally resting. And then the door was open and she was staring at the girl she'd been messaging for years.

"Maka?" The girl nearly yelled, eyes wide with surprise. "You…you're here. In the city. What happened?"

"My parents freaked over something stupid. So I'm here," She murmured, staring up into the face of the dark haired Tsubaki, the girl she knew better than her own family. She looked up with her usually bright emerald eyes dull with exhaustion. "You mind if I crash…here?" She asked sleepily, almost falling to her knees as she slipped closer and closer to unconsciousness.

"No. Come on, before you collapse at the front door. Use the guest room," She said, taking Maka's bags as she led the girl through her apartment and to the room she'd spoken of. But when she turned around to tell her, she found the girl gone. She put down the heavy bags before she returned to the living room, finding Maka passed out on the couch with her ashy blonde hair spread around her head in a wild array.

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll just show you to your room tomorrow then. Sleep tight," She murmured quietly, turning off the living room light and heading to her own bedroom.

It was a couple of weeks later and Maka was bright eyed and her hair was up, a sign that she was no longer exhausted from lack of sleep. Instead she was rather lively, excited for the day's events.

She was finally moving into the city, her own apartment under her name.

Maka could barely comprehend how fast everything was moving. It hadn't been but a couple of weeks since she'd first come to the city to escape the small town she'd grown up in and now she was living on her own only a couple of blocks from one of her long time friends.

"You sure seem happy," Tsubaki said as she brought in one of the last boxes and placed it next to the door with the rest of the unopened ones. "I can tell that you're relieved to be away from your hometown."

Sighing happily, Maka nodded. "They freaked out because I had a secret friend in the city. More because it was a secret and that everyone didn't know about. I'm not that open about my feelings and I don't want to be. So I got out when I saw their true ways. Just took me nineteen years to realize it," She replied quickly, pushing the boxes against the wall to keep them out of the way.

"If I would've known that they would react like that I…" Tsubaki said, trying to shoulder the problem herself even though it was in no way her fault.

"If you would've known we wouldn't have messaged each other for so long. Plus, it was nice to have someone to talk to other than the trash in our town. Plus I was related to half of the town; I'd have to move out if I wanted to marry and have kids," She joked lightly, pulling open another box as she set everything in its place on the counter or mantle of the—surprisingly nice—fire place set into the wall.

"Trust me when I say you won't have that problem here in the city. There's plenty enough men for you to find a guy. Just watch out for the assholes and you should be fine," Tsubaki said, kneeling to dig through another box. "I'm just happy that you managed to get used to the city so soon. Now you just have to get to know it."

"I _know_. It's so big compared to my hometown that I don't know if I'll be able to know all about it. I barely knew my own town, but that was mainly cuz I didn't like the place. Ever since I met you on the internet, my home became very, _very _boring. But, anyway, back to what you were planning for tonight. Did you really mean it when you said I had to wear that outfit to the bar? It covers almost nothing," She said, pointing lazily in the direction of a bag that she'd inspected earlier—much to her disappointment and embarrassment.

"Yes, I did. And since you reminded me, it's time we got ready. We need to get there before eight or else it's gonna be filled to the brim with people. And they actually listen to the laws so when they hit the limit, that's it. So go get dressed while I put my dress on and come out to show me. I want to see my handiwork," She commented before snagging her own dress off of the armrest of Maka's couch—which, Maka finally remembered, needed to be pulled out before they left in case Maka came home drunk and couldn't remember where to sleep.

Walking into her bedroom, completely furnished except for the full sized bed they had coming in soon, was set up nicely with dark cream colored walls light cream colored furniture. It was dark and soothing to Maka who, in a town of family, grew up in a bright, sunny environment that she just wouldn't thrive in on her own. Even when she turned on the light, the room had a darker feeling to it, soft and smooth.

Within moments Maka was stripped down to nothing but her underwear and she was pulling on the tank top and miniskirt with little difficulty. Then she looked at herself in the mirror and she wanted to rip off the clothes to be replaced with something a little more…chaste.

The top was dark red and sequined, thin spaghetti straps that revealed the straps of her bra. It revealed more than enough cleavage and hugged her non-existent curves that she almost tried to hide. And then there was the skirt, a mini that was made of nothing but pure black leather. It was short and barely reached the top of her thigh, revealing her lengthy, mile long legs that ended with her feet in dark strappy high heels. While other girls might have thought she looked gorgeous, Maka balked at the idea of walking around outside with an outfit like it.

"Tsubaki?" She called from her room, turning this way and that in front of the mirror to check her outfit over and over. "Is the skirt supposed to be this short?"

"How short is it?" Tsubaki's voice replied, muffled through the door.

"It _barely _reaches my thighs!" She remarked, scowling when she heard laughter right outside her bedroom door. When it opened, it revealed the smiling face of Tsubaki. "Clothes are supposed to cover skin, Tsubaki!"

Tsubaki shook her head and walked closer, still smiling. "Tonight, it's not. Tonight, Maka, your goal is to get a guy to break in this place," She replied, watching with glee as Maka shrilled something about how it wasn't appropriate or something of the like. "Come on Maka! It's what needs to be done to get your thoughts off of the little town you came from. It works. Trust me."

Sighing, Maka looked into the mirror once more and tried to put on a grin. "Well, at least it makes me look like I have curves," She muttered, sitting down on the chair place in front of the vanity. "Okay, so you said you'd do my hair? I want to get rid of this old hairstyle and get something fresh. A new start. And something I won't be compelled to put up, kay?"

Tsubaki nodded and picked up a pair of scissors, a critical eye looking over her ashy blonde hair. "Have you ever thought about highlights? They'd make your hair look great."

Maka shrugged, thoughtful. "I thought about it once or twice but no one in my hometown knew how to do it for cheap. But I might try now that I'm in the city," She replied as Tsubaki pulled her hair out of the twin pigtails her hair was usually tied up in. "The only problem would be keeping it up too often for my liking," Maka muttered, chatting with the brunette as she found her hair being cut, albeit very little. It seemed like Tsubaki was styling it while keeping its length.

"Okay, so I'm done. How do you like?" Tsubaki finally said, turning Maka around to show her the hair that, once cut all one length, was now layered, sleek and straight. "I thought you'd look good like this and I was pretty much right. Plus, it makes your eyes pop," She said, watching her speechless friend stare at herself in the mirror.

"It's perfect!" Maka squealed, jumping up and hugging her friend with a huge grin on her face. "If I showed up in town with this hairstyle everyone would freak. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She nearly yelled, running her fingers through the soft locks. "Well, as far as I know I'm ready to go. You almost done Tsubaki?"

The friend nodded, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail, leaving her bangs to frame her face. "I'm already done. Let's head out so we can make it before the crowds," Tsubaki happily replied, pulling out a pair of car keys. "I'll drive, since you don't know the way," She offered, leaving through the front door with Maka not far behind.

"_And before sunset you must bring back a full grown deer for this rite of passage, before you can truly be considered one of the pack. You have nearly five hours before your deadline. Please, begin before time escapes you."_

_And then you get to drag it back, _the white wolf thought unhappily, licking at the blood staining his maw red as he stared at the buck that he'd dragged almost a mile before stopping for a rest. Where his jaws had been locked the flesh was nearly gone, pulled apart from being dragged. The buck was huge and weighed quite a bit, making it hard to pull without tearing away flesh.

Which was why, in a moment of annoyance, the white wolf changed until his fur disappeared and he could walk on two legs, his snout gone. The hair on his head lengthened, turning into spiky locks that went this way and that. He was clothed from the waist down, in jeans that were covered in huge holes and maroon colored stains splattered here and there. Around his jaws he could still taste the blood, what he'd missed moment earlier while cleaning his maw. His tasted cold and metallic, the fresh taste still there even though he'd been dragging the carcass for nearly half an hour.

With a groan he pushed himself onto his feet and stood over the carcass before finally taking it and slinging it across his shoulders. The weight was easier to carry and he found it a breeze in comparison to dragging it on four legs. Before long he found himself halfway through the forest and almost back to his pack. But that was when he heard the voices, hushed and quiet in the otherwise silent forest.

"We can't let her find out about our armies, Arachne! If we do it'll open the door to—"

"Don't tell me what I already know Medusa," Soul heard, stiffening at the mention of the snake eyed witch that looked over his family's pack, laying down rules that they were to follow. In the end, though, Soul knew her as nothing but a sadistic bitch that he had no choice but to listen to. Otherwise, those snakes of hers were liable to get him in his sleep. "We've kept her away long enough. Now is the perfect time to kill her, while she's vulnerable and before anyone can influence her. We especially do not want our younger sister to get a hold of her, Medusa."

_The three sisters, of course, _Soul thought to himself quietly, almost letting loose a growl at the thought of the three of them together. Medusa alone was cruel enough; the three together were sadistic, feeding off each other's joys of inflicting pain to those who deserved it—and sometimes those who didn't.

For a few minutes there was nothing coming from the clearing, not even the sounds of breathing. Thinking it was safe to move, Soul took a step—only to flinch as he heard the harsh snap of a twig and the familiar hiss of the witch Soul nearly feared. "There's someone listening to us, Arachne!"

Soul checked the wind frantically, finding that he was thankfully downwind from the two sisters. But their scent was strong, flowing straight towards him from the north. Which meant that if he kept on traveling in the direction he'd been heading, he'd stay out of their way. "Leave it, Medusa. It was probably just some stray deer or the like. Now get to warning your pack about the threat. We'll need them to dispatch it immediately," She said before her scent disappeared suddenly, as if the wind had carried the smell away.

It wasn't long before Medusa's scent was gone and Soul let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Then he was walking back to his pack with the buck over his shoulders, covering ground faster than before in case Medusa decided to come back and investigate.

His pack had made quick work of the buck, only tearing in once he and his parents had gotten their fill. If it was one positive of being the next Alpha, he was allowed to eat as he pleased, not being pushed aside and starved because of his lack of position.

It wasn't long before the 'ceremony' was over and Soul was looked at by the rest of his pack as _one _of the pack. Then he was dismissed along with the rest of the pack for the rest of the night's rite of passage. But that wouldn't take place in the pack's forest territory. Instead, it would take place in the city, under the cover of alley darkness and strange scents of their underworld. The part of the city lovingly known as the Black Light District.

"Black Light District? Why the hell would you call it that?" Maka asked as they walked from their car to the alley behind a very, very large club called Howl. People were lined up till the front door, dressed in clothes not very different from the clothes Maka was dressed in. Actually, her clothes covered more, which the nineteen year old found rather funny seeing as how, even in the clothes she was wearing, her parents would have killed her if they'd seen her.

"No one really knows. It's been called that since I've been born and not even my grandparents remembered a time when it _wasn't _know by that. It's just stuck for at least a century," Tsubaki explained as they walked, finally stopping the blonde haired girl as they came to the opening of a dark alley. Maka watched as she looked in and then either way on the sidewalk before nodding. "Okay, coast is clear. Now, I need you to stay here while I go find the backdoor. There's no way we're getting in before they start sending people away so this is the only way we can get in. I'll be right back," Tsubaki said before vanishing into the darkness, leaving Maka to standing in the near darkness.

Annoyed, Maka stood where she'd been told to and just waited for a few minutes. It was quiet out here behind the club, away from the excited chatter of the crowd waiting to get in. She could hear music coming from inside, deep and booming sounds that went straight through Maka, putting a smile on her once scowling lips.

But then she heard the almost silent click clack of something like heels on concrete, yet quieter and just _different_. So she turned to face it, only to find herself staring into the crimson red eyes of a snowy white wolf the size of a large pony.

The thing didn't pause even when she followed it with her eyes, watching it lope across the concrete with grace that she utterly lacked. She watched it stop and sniff at a garbage bag then the corner of a bricked wall before it finally went stiff, turning abruptly to stare at Maka with those strange eyes. It was frozen in place, reminding Maka of a deer caught in headlights as she stared at the wolf in return. And it was minutes that their eyes remained connected, a battle of wills that Maka was unwilling to give up, but for reasons even she couldn't comprehend in that moment.

But then the high pitched voice of Tsubaki called from the alley and the wolf turned tail and ran right where the Tsubaki was coming from. When the brunette appeared, she was smiling bright, apparently happy even though a wolf had just passed within feet of her. "So, I found the door and it's unlocked. So we're totally getting in," She said, motioning for Maka to follow her—until she saw the pale complexion of her friend's face and the look of fright she was giving off. "Honey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

_Yeah, if by ghost you mean a huge white dog with red eyes that remind you of the devil, then yeah_, Maka thought tersely to herself, collecting her nerves before putting on a brave front. "Oh, I just felt a little sick that's all. But I'm good; I'm ready to get inside already!"

Tsubaki chuckled, already walking back into the shadows. "You seem excited all of a sudden. But I guess it's a good thing. Maybe you'll actually get the nerve to bring a guy home," She commented, hearing a sigh from her long time friend.

"Yeah, maybe I will. Anything to get my mind off of anything!" She replied dryly, stretching under the darkness of the alley until they finally came to a stop at a door in the wall behind the club, Howl. Tsubaki inched it open easily and took some careful steps down into the even darker abyss below.

"Okay, just make sure you don't fall down the stairs. They're pretty steep and almost everyone trips down them once or twice. Just be careful in your heels," Tsubaki warned, giggling as she heard Maka's heel hit the ground and a curse from the blonde girl as she most likely tripped. "I _told _you."

Soul quietly snuck into the balcony but it wasn't long before his packmates were hooting and hollering, slapping him on the back as they congratulated him. He felt the corners of his lips turning up, involuntarily smiling from the comments. Even Kim, the melancholy girl with short chopped hair was smiling, but Soul was pretty sure it was more because of the booze than being proud of him.

"Hey, quiet down, quiet down," Soul said, the others becoming quiet and staring towards him with admiration clear in their eyes. "While I know you guys love to compliment me so much, I just wanted to tell you all that drinks are on me for the rest of the night. We're celebrating!" He whooped, watching his second in command—the blue haired Blackstar with hair spikier than his own—jump onto a table and yell something about how great he was; but not, he corrected himself, as great as his future alpha.

Rolling his eyes, Soul got a waiter to bring him something strong to drink and settled himself on the balcony, watching over the crowd as he leaned on the railing. He could feel eyes on him from below, occasionally skimming over him. But he felt the eyes on him from the balcony, watching him as he chose his 'prey'.

This prey wasn't nearly as easy to choose, nor was this rite of passage less complicated. Actually, in Soul's opinion, it was pretty much worse in every way.

"So have you chosen one for tonight?" Soul turned his head to find Blackstar walking up to him with a smirk on his face. "I'd suggest picking more than one; most guys go through two or three before they finally find a girl willing to sleep with one of us. Most of them know our reputation around the city; they're scared of us," Blackstar said, leaning on the railing next to Soul as he stared into the crowd. Soul noticed that his eyes were transfixed on someone but he was too lazy to even check. It was nothing new for one of his kind to watch the opposite sex. In fact, it was almost expected.

"It'll be harder for me. They know that I lead our group; more than half the people in this room right now went to high school with us. You of all people know how bad my temper used to be," Soul murmured, wincing from the memories. But he shook them off as quickly as he remembered; he wasn't that boy anymore. Nor was he a mindless soldier.

"You? Look at Liz! It took her nearly seven tries before a guy—a mindless _drunk_ guy at that—before she managed to pull it off. But with your looks, it'll take you two, three tops," Blackstar joked, patting Soul on the back. "Now hurry up and choose one before one of the other guys chooses for you. How about the one with the huge tits over next to the DJ? She looks a bit like a bitch but that's what we like, isn't it?" Blackstar joked, but he noticed that Soul's interest was already taken—by a certain ashy blonde next to the bar. "Are you eyeing up the flat chested chick that looks like she'd rather be anywhere but—my god she just downed a damn shot like it was nothing. Your kind of girl," Blackstar joked, but if he was expecting a reply he was sorely disappointed.

As soon as Soul had been called out by his second in command, the albino had downed a shot from the nearby table and was walking away. Blackstar knew that walk; the future alpha was on a mission. And nothing ever led him astray.

Maka sighed as she caught sight of Tsubaki once more, before she disappeared into the huge crowd that was the club. She'd only separated from the throng to talk to Maka once and to down two drinks, both of which were shots and took barely two seconds to gulp. Then she was gone again, sashaying her way through the people until she disappeared.

And so Maka found herself at the bar, waiting for her friend while also gulping down a drink every so often to get her mind off of how bored she was.

After watching her friend briefly appear for the fifth or sixth time that night, Maka turned back to the bar and found the bartender looking at her expectantly. "I'll order another shot. The best you've got. I need something to get my mind off of the terrible night," She commented tersely, pulling her purse into her lap as she rummaged through it for some cash to pay for the next shot.

But not before an arm reached over her and put some bills on the counter. "Bill, put the girl on my tab for the night. Everything she bought tonight," The voice, deep and husky, spoke from behind her, close enough for her to feel his breath tickling the back of her neck. A little peeved, Maka was ready to return his money without thanks when she turned around. But when she saw his face, she felt as if she was losing her composure, and fast.

The guy was handsome, to put it lightly. His jaw was chiseled squared and he had high cheekbones. He had beautiful eyes that gave him a permanent, scowling look that made him somehow look hotter. They were dark, crimson and alight with mischief that Maka found herself pulled to. But it wasn't his eyes that had her so in awe. Actually, it was his hair. It was styled with spikes that were just a little long, most reaching his chin at the least. And the color. Under the dark blue light it looked the same color, maybe even purple. Maka guessed that it was blonde, maybe platinum blonde.

"You look surprised that a guy would be willing to buy you a few drinks," The guy said, an amused grin pulling at the corners of his lips. "Call me Soul," The guy said, hands in shoved deep into his pockets.

Maka, under the influence of more than two drinks, was quick to grin and reply, "Call me Maka. Now that introductions are done, come dance with me."

Soul was surprised, or at least he looked it from what Maka could see. But it only made her smirk as she grabbed his hand and led him eagerly onto the dance floor.

Soul could tell that everyone was watching him. If it wasn't the feeling of eyes burning on the back of his neck, it was the occasional hoots and hollers that only he or one of his packmates could hear over the loud music. At one point Soul had to hold back the urge to look up at them and growl to keep them quiet. The last thing Soul needed was for them to screw it up for him.

But, Soul had to admit, it was nice to have fun like this again. Ever since Wes had disappeared a few years before, Soul had been told to buckle down and become the new heir to the pack. But with this girl, this petite, tiny blonde girl, grinding back against him to the beat of the music, he found himself enjoying this as more than some stupid rite of passage. He actually found himself liking the girl, Maka, more than he thought he should.

Soul put his hands on either side of her waist and pulled her closer, putting his lips to her ear. "Let's get out of here," He whispered, feeling her shiver—Soul could only guess that it was from his breath on her neck since he could feel nothing but heat radiating from all the bodies around them.

The girl nodded before pulling out her keys and giggling. "You get to drive babe. I'm practically wasted," She said, holding on tight to his hand as he led them through the crowd. Soul kept on turning his head back to check, always finding her there with her emerald green eyes wide open and taking in everything.

It took only a few minutes before they were outside and in the car, Maka spouting out directions that sent Soul on a wild goose chase until he made her tell him what apartment complex she was living at. When she finally revealed that she lived at one of the _better _complexes, it only took a little bit of time before they were out of the car and right outside the powder blue door, fumbling for keys as they found each others' lips.

Maka felt his hands everywhere, caressing but also groping at her chest as she moaned from pleasure. When she finally turned the door knob, Soul pushed her into the room before kicking the door closed. Maka felt his sharp teeth nibbling at her bottom lip, gently nipping wherever they went. Then they were falling as Maka's legs met the edge of the pull out bed that she'd barely remembered to pull out. Soul fell on top, careful to keep from collapsing on top of her. But he didn't miss a beat, pulling his shirt over his head as he found Maka struggling to take her own off.

They stayed like that for a while, until Soul was tugging off his pants and Maka was turning to the side to reach into a side table for a small, shiny square package that Soul knew was unnecessary but went along with it for the girl's sake. To keep her from panicking, at least.

After that it was quick and rushed but what was pretty much expected of a drunken one night stand, or at least from what Maka had heard. But what she didn't understand was that it was _better_ than she could have imagined. Pure euphoria, sending her to heights she couldn't have thought of.

Then he was on top of her and they were both breathing hard from their efforts. Soul, having planned on leaving before sleeping, found his plans absolutely ridiculous as he felt exhaustion closing in. He could already tell that Maka was asleep, her breathing deep and rhythmic. It wasn't long before Soul succumbed to sleep too, giving in for a rare moment and letting himself wrap his arms around the girl in a display of affection. He hadn't done such a thing since he'd been pegged as the next Alpha. Nor did he ever expect himself to.

But he did. And he enjoyed every second of it until he fell unconscious.

**A/N: So there you have it, chapter 1 :) Please continue reading because I understand that chapter 1 came out crappy. Definitely not my best work. But the plot will definitely thicken within the next couple of chapters. The next is going to be a bit of a filler, just explaining what happens once the two happy one night standers wake up and after. How he tries to hide his affections for the human, how Maka reacts, how Soul reacts to Maka's back, etc. And what the Gorgon sisters have up their sleeves, not to mention how Kid, the Thompson Sisters, and Blackstar come into the picture. I think you'll like slightly quieter, less mischievous Blackstar very much (had to change his personality just a tiny bit to fit his position). **

**Maka's part in this is a little…complicated. She's kind of clueless yet she's not, kind of. She knows, after meeting a couple of Soul's closest friends, that there's a strange hierarchy of sorts and that it's different from what she's always known. It's only when we get to the main scene in my head that we really find out just what the hell is going on with the pack and how Maka has anything to do with it. And their legends and prophecies. Oh, and the Gorgon Sisters' 'guards' or 'guardians' (I don't remember how I referred to them) are the wolf packs of which they each respectively 'own'. Medusa is the witch of Soul's parents' pack, of which Blackstar and the Thompson sisters also belong. There's also Kim, Harvar, Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder (going to be lovingly referred to as Fire and Thunder, a couple of almost wolf cubs), and a few other characters that will be familiar from the series. And there will be a 'weapon/meister' aspect, albeit very toned down and not one sided, not a black and white 'she's the weapon and he's the meister' kind of thing. More like they can communicate nonverbally and transfer abilities to each other just by being so close emotionally. **

**So, yeah, there's a lot of slightly complicated aspects to the story but I really like the idea. So I'm going to continue typing it up. **

**But, anyway, I don't own Soul Eater or Nightshade. They belong to their respective owners. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First off I want to thank everyone that alerted either me or this story! It's nice to know that a lot of people want to read more of my writing. **

**But I would like to give a personal thanks to those that reviewed for this first chapter: Spixie303, kkjksafk (doubt that's your actual username o.O), jass99102, mabello, and Dev. Thanks for reviewing, since I loved hearing how much you guys loved the first chapter even though I thought it was terrible (what can I say; writing at midnight makes me a little incoherent). It made me want to continue writing this story very, very much.**

**But for those of you who alerted or favorited my story, I would appreciate it much more if you reviewed. A nice review is ten times better than just an alert any day :)**

Chapter 2

_She felt it deep in her bones, as if something were shifting and changing inside of her. Her back burned, the exact place where that mark was placed. She felt like putty, her skin soft and malleable. It wasn't something she could control. She knew that if she tried to stop it, tried to fight against it, that it would hurt her more than help._

_After the feelings of change started deep inside her, the actual shift was instantaneous. Fur popped out along her spine then traveled down ever limb before spreading across every inch of skin. Her bones popped out of placed, were shortened or lengthened before they were popped right back into place. Her nose got longer and her entire jaw grew almost a hand length before she noticed her ears were shifted until they were right on the top of her head. And then there was the weirdest sensation, a sensation that she somehow knew was a—_

With a gasp Maka felt herself torn out of her dream as if pulled headfirst through a tunnel. Breathing hard, the nineteen year old blonde found herself covered in sweat and gasping for breath.

It took a few minutes before she finally relaxed and found her breathing was normal again. She checked her arms and her back, finding the skin smooth and without fur unlike what she'd felt in her dream—although she _almost_ considered it a nightmare, what with what she had been feeling. It wasn't normal, to have dream like that, Maka thought idly as she pulled her knees up to her chest, watching as the sheet slipped to reveal some of her upper thigh.

It wasn't long before Maka remembered one part of her dream that had been haunting her since her sixteenth birthday all three years ago.

Slowly, she reached behind her and patted at her back until she could find the mark that, after three years, had darkened until it was clearly visible against her porcelain colored skin. And when her finger finally made contact, she felt it.

Hotter than she could've imagined, Maka pulled back her fingers in pain as she found the mark hot to the touch, nearly scalding. When she finally pulled back to check her fingers, the tips were red and almost blistered. She ran them along the cool sheet, reveling in the feel that it gave her—until they ran into the warm flesh of someone sharing the bed with her.

Maka nearly jumped before she began to remember the events from the night before, of being drunk enough to actually offer to share a bed with some random guy that bought her a drink. She barely remembered how they got home; if it wasn't for the memory of getting the directions home wrong, Maka probably wouldn't have remembered at all that he'd driven her home and now knew where she lived.

The small town girl felt mortified, knowing that it was nothing like her. While the guy was handsome—a nice, chiseled face and hair the color of snow, not to mention that muscles that she hadn't seen on any guy back at home—not even during her most wreckless times had she ever done _that _to relax.

But, Maka grudgingly admitted as she tried pulling herself out of bed, she had to admit that it _did _work. While yesterday she'd been depressed about the fact that she was quickly running out of money and needed a job, Maka couldn't care about anything at the moment other than the fact that she was in bed with the hottest guy she'd ever met, even seen.

Before Maka could think about anything else, she was pulled back to reality by a pair of arms wrapping themselves around her waist just as she attempted to take a step out of bed. The giggles bubbled up before she could stop them and the guy's eyes fluttered open to rest on her as he grinned. Crimson met emerald and Maka felt as if she were melting under his gaze.

Then the moment came crashing down as front door was opened with a bang and the sound of two voices reached the startled pair's ears. Maka jumped but it was Soul's arms around her waist that kept Maka grounded. Then he was pulling up the sheets, covering her like a gentleman before anyone could see her.

"Wait out here while I check on them," A voice came from the door, only moments before Tsubaki appeared feet away with a bag in one hand and a cup holder in the other. "So remember how I promised to keep an eye on you well—_oh_," Tsubaki cut herself off, gazing at not only Maka but Soul with a wide eyed glance—Maka idly noticed that her eyes stuck on Soul for a few moments longer, something in her eyes that worried Maka, something similar to fear. "Uh, I just wanted to bring you breakfast since I knew you were a little…short of food…but I guess you have your hands filled with other things."

Soul watched with a tiny grin as the dark haired girl made Maka blush from her choice of words, a blush that only made the younger girl more adorable. He pushed back his white hair until it was out of his eyes, sniffing at the apartment to get an idea of what was in the place. All he could really smell was the stale scent of another family then dust and, above all, Maka. It was even in the sheets, which didn't have the usual scent that new sheets carried. They were old and, from the smell of it, belonged to her when she'd lived somewhere else, somewhere not in the city.

"Well, I'll just get out of here then," Soul heard the dark haired girl say, blushing dark red before she turned tail and scurried out of the room. When he looked up, she was gone and Maka looked ready to die from embarrassment.

For a few minutes, it was silent as Maka and Soul thought about what had happened between them. Then, Soul sniffed one time too many and he smelled him_self_. "Uh…if you wouldn't mind I need a shower. I don't want to kill you from the fumes," He awkwardly joked, running a hand through his white locks as he grabbed his boxers from the side table.

"Oh! Yeah, I guess you'd need a shower. Um, let me remember—yeah, it's second door on the right and towels are in the closet, the only door in the room. Call if you need something," She muttered, turning away as he picked himself up off of the pull out bed. She heard his footsteps, almost silent, as headed down the hallway then a soft click as he closed the door behind him.

With a sigh she bowed her head and felt all of her tension from before leave as she finally found herself out from under someone's scrutiny. It took only a few minutes before she found her robe—old and soft, made of terry cloth and perfect against her skin. She draped it around her shoulders and tied it closed as she stood up and headed for the kitchen to start with breakfast.

A couple of minutes into looking for a pan, Maka heard the shower start running and pushed her hair out of her eyes. Then she groaned when she remembered that, among all the things she'd bought, a pan or something of the like hadn't been one of them. So that ruled out eggs—which, Maka reminded herself, she didn't have any of either—and only left bacon and biscuits, along with some drinks that Maka wouldn't call breakfast appropriate.

Within minutes Maka was pulling out a long, thin foil pan that barely fit all of the biscuits in two rows and a foreman grill that was missing the grease collector. She'd made do with worse, she remembered, thinking of a time when her parents had separated for a short while and she'd been sent to stay with her father for a while. He'd had barely anything and she'd had to cook on the same kind of grill she now used.

It was barely twenty minutes and Maka was done with the first two batches of bacon and the biscuits, slightly doughy, were cooling when Soul finally walked out of the hallway with a towel drying his hair and only in his pants. He's gone shirtless, revealing an eight pack and muscles that were big but not close to being steroid induced. Soul looked naturally fit, something that Maka noticed with a smile.

"You like what you see," Soul asked playfully as he threw the towel over the back of one of the chairs, a smirk revealing teeth that were a little sharper than normal. But it had a certain…charm to it. "If you like I can take off the—"

"I think you're perfectly fine with your pants _on_," Maka replied hurriedly, grinning in return while, on the inside, she was blushing from head to toe. "Anyway, I made breakfast and since I just moved in all I had was this. I hope you like biscuits and bacon," She said, watching as he picked up a piece of meat and inspected it before popping it into his mouth. It wasn't long after that he was grabbing a biscuit and halving it, stuffing a few pieces of bacon inside.

"Homemade breakfast sandwiches," He said at her curious gaze. "Didn't you ever eat 'em as a kid?" He asked her, surprise written across his face as his eyes widened. As if it were impossible that she hadn't.

"We ate our biscuits with honey and butter and our bacon with syrup," Maka replied matter of factly, before giving a sheepish grin. "Only problem is that I don't have any here, so I'm stuck with plain biscuits."

"Come on, try some. It won't kill you to try something new," Soul said, stuffing yet another biscuit with bacon. He held it out to her. "I promise that you'll like it. I wouldn't offer it to you otherwise," He said, a kind grin on his lips as she took it from his grasp, taking a cautious nibble before nodding and smiling. "See? I told you."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Now hurry up and eat the rest or else I'll have to throw it away and waste food," she said, laughing as she watched him stuff an entire biscuit into his mouth in one go. When he smiled, Maka couldn't help but giggle from the sight. "So, about last night…" Maka began, starting to feel incredibly awkward—it didn't help that she noticed her robe slipping, revealing a little bit of her mark, the one she tried so hard to hide.

"I'm sorry that it was a little…rushed," Soul said, a sheepish grin on his face as he blushed—actually blushed. "If I would've known how cool you were I would've waited and—you know—asked you out on a date first. The gentlemanly thing to do," He explained, making Maka's face bloom as she smiled, a huge grin gracing her lips that Soul knew he could get used to—but what was he thinking? He'd be endangering her life if he even entertained the idea.

"You think I'm cool?" Maka asked, green eyes bright and full of mischief that Soul recognized somewhat in himself from years before his brother had disappeared. "Then what do you think about going on a date with me tomorrow? I'm looking for jobs in the city and I should be free for lunch," She said, looking very excited, more excited than Soul could say for himself.

The pack strictly forbade any serious relationships with humans. Other than flings every now and then, wolves were supposed to stick to their packs and humans to their own. Even staying over with the intent of spending time with this girl, Maka, had the possibility of getting him in trouble if someone found out and went to Medusa.

But, of course, his mouth didn't seem to be connected to his head anymore, having grown a mind of its own over night. "Yeah, sure. I should be able to, as long as I can get away from…work. Strict schedules," He explained briefly, hating that he had to lie.

But damn it was worth it when her eyes lit up again and she smiled at him with those perfect pearly white that nearly outdid his own—but not quite, he thought, as he remembered the snarling faces of his pack, each one have a mouth full of sharp, perfectly white set of teeth practically made for tearing apart flesh. "Well, I'll just have to tell Tsubaki that I have plans for lunch so she can get together with her boyfriend instead of hanging with me. You have a cell so I can program my number in it? And put yours on mine so I can call you if I need to change plans or something," Maka said, handing him her cell phone that had been only an arm's length away, sitting on the counter. He found his only moments later on the side table of the pull out mattress, on but almost dead. As soon as he handed the phone to her she was quick to program her number into his list of numbers, returning it to him with a grin. "I hope I don't seem too forward or something," Maka said as she turned back to the food, picking up a piece of bacon and munching on it absentmindedly. "I've never really…gone out with a city boy before. Hell, I've barely been out with any guy before. So I'm a little new at this," She murmured, looking up at him with those big green eyes, filled with nothing but sincerity.

"Trust me when I say you're not pushy or anything. I've had girls practically jump me if I just talked to them. This is a pleasant change," He said happily, leaning forward on the counter.

"Well…" Maka started, her nose scrunched up in concentration. "I kind of did jump you so—I guess nothing changed at all."

"I'll let you on a little secret," Soul whispered, ushering her closer with his hand. "Now, you've got to promise that you don't tell _anyone_, okay? He whispered, nearly laughing on the inside as he saw her intense, curious gaze as she pulled her face only inches from his. "You can hear me? Well, here's the secret: you're the only one who got that far," He said, but not before giving her a quick, playful peck on the lips as he watched her face switch through a variety of emotions, only a handful of which he could translate. But the last one seemed to be happiness.

"I'm the only girl you've slept with? Truly?" Maka questioned, having only a little bit of doubt mar her features.

"Yep. I'm not the kind of guy that just sleeps around. Plus, I don't want to look like an ass; it's uncool," He stated dryly, earning another smile from the shorter girl. Absently, he noticed that he was only a few inches above his chest, nearly a foot and a half shorter than his six foot nine inches. He guess that she was maybe five foot one or two, if not shorter. He'd be surprised if she was any taller.

"Well, I'm not that kind of girl either. That was a one-time thing, picking up a guy at a club. If it ever happens again, it would be with tons of alcohol in my system and with Tsubaki's influence," Maka said, turning around without realizing that her robe was slipping again. But this time, it fell enough that Soul could see the entirety of it—a heart, surrounded by the orange-gold rays of a sun. He'd got only a few glimpses of it the night before, the girl doing a good job of hiding it while not hiding it at all.

"Hey," Soul started with curiosity clear in his voice. "That's a pretty cool tattoo. Got it back home or did you head to the city for it?" He asked, a smile on his face as he snacked on the last couple of biscuits—only after making sure Maka didn't want anymore.

Maka, surprised, quickly pulled up the robe and hid her panicked expression from view as she stifled her gasp. Now Maka was left with two choices, neither of which she liked. If she told him that it was something that had suddenly appeared when she'd turned sixteen, he'd think she was crazy. But lying? Maka hated lying, especially to people she considered having in her life for a while. But which was worse?

Turned out, it was the first option that Maka nixed, instead replying, "Me and a few friends got tattoos when we were sixteen. It hurt pretty badly but I kind of like it," She muttered as she cleaned up the mess from breakfast. "My parents freaked out when they saw it. Tried to get me to remove it. It was the one thing the both of them agreed on when they saw it."

"It looks cool," Soul complimented, looking up at her face with a grin. "Almost as beautiful as you," He murmured, causing a blush to rush to Maka's cheeks as she tried covering herself up more. As she turned away she heard the scraping of the wooden stool against the wooden floor and felt the heat radiating from Soul before she saw him. His arms wrapped around her tiny shoulder, his large, sturdy frame almost completely overshadowing her as she felt his breath on her neck. It sent chills down her spine, a moan escaping her lips. "You shouldn't hide Maka. You're beautiful. You act as if it's a surprise."

Maka turned around slowly and let him put his arms around her once again, putting her arms around his neck as much as she could reach from her short height. "I don't think any guy has ever said that to me," She murmured quietly, placing a quick kiss on his lips before she pulled away. "I have to go shower so make yourself at home; I'll just be a few minutes."

Maka quickly disappeared, leaving Soul to his own devices as he waited for her to come out. He ended up looking around the apartment—finding everything looked as if it had been recently unpacked, boxes left laying around, stacks of books near her bedroom door. Or, at least, what he guessed was her bedroom door. One quick peek inside confirmed it, aside from the missing bed. No wonder why they had crashed in the living room. The bed was missing.

After he'd roamed the entire apartment, finding no TV, Soul picked up one of the books he'd found stacked and couldn't help the smirk when he realized just how many books this girl had collected. There were at least fifty stacked here and there were another two or three boxes labeled the same. And they were mostly the same, young adult or teen fiction, all pretty thick, as if she were against buying anything under five hundred pages. There were also some trashy romance that, after reading some of the summaries, Soul decided that if he ever had a daughter, she would never be able to read. Ever.

Soul was oblivious as he heard the shower shut off and the door open, his sensitive hearing not picking up the sounds he usually would. Instead, he was reading—_reading_—when Maka called out his name. His attention finally grabbed, Soul smiled and yelled to tell her that he was near her room. He didn't think he would ever get out of his head the look of that dark blush on her cheeks as she found him holding one of the books—probably the trashiest of the pile.

With a smirk he held up the book, showing off the cover which had a man holding a tall, voluptuous woman whose nails were long and clawed. From the summary, Soul guessed she was a vampire and the man a werewolf. "You read supernatural porn?" He asked slyly, his grin growing larger as she moved to swipe the book from him but missing by mere inches. "Why, Maka, I didn't think you were that kind of girl!"

Finally reaching the book, Maka grabbed it as quickly as she could and put it back in her pile of books. Idly she noticed that the other had been looked through, strewn across the floor. "Looks like you were reading some too," She replied dryly, beginning to stack them up just like before. "Plus, it's not like they're pure porn. It's just that I like reading romance…just with a _bit _of a twist," She replied.

"Sure Maka, _sure._ Well, at least I won't have to worry about you not knowing what to do," He joked happily, his grin wide and he was absolutely glowing with amusement. "You probably learn loads of stuff from those books."

Laughing, Maka finally stood up and smiled in return. "What if I told you didn't learn that from books, Wolfboy?" She joked, only to find her smile drooping as Soul's smiling face turned completely serious. He even looked a little angry. "Wait—what did I say?"

Soul sighed, turning his head away, as if he didn't want to look her in the eyes. "Don't call me that. Don't ever call me that; not in private or in public," He said, knowing that this was probably ruining his chances of getting closer to Maka. It didn't help a relationship when someone started acting bipolar.

"Okay then, I guess I've got to come up with a new nickname for you then," She joked, but the laughter was gone and Soul knew that he'd screwed up. The fun they'd been happening was gone and had been replaced with awkward silence as they tried to figure out how to pick up the pieces and fix it.

After they'd stacked the books back next to the door, Maka led Soul back to the living room and tried making conversation but Soul could tell that it was forced. So, finally, Soul just sighed. "Hey, there's this concert going on this Friday and I have an extra ticket. You mind keeping me company?" Soul asked, flinching internally when he realized just how stupid he'd sounded.

But Maka must not have hear it because she was suddenly smiling again. "Oh, yeah, sure. This Friday?" She asked and he nodded, relieved that all hope hadn't been lost. "I don't know where it's at so—"

"I'll pick you up this Friday at eight, wear something like you wore to the club. Or else you'll stick out like a sore thumb," He joked, running a hand through his spiked white hair.

"Are you telling me that to look out for me or so you can watch me like you did last night? Because I don't think I care at this point," Maka replied sweetly, looking at her phone. "Oh, crap, I'm supposed to meet Tsubaki for lunch! I'm so sorry but I've gotta go. I had a great time with you, text me if you can make it tomorrow," She murmured, watching him get up and stretch before following her outside the apartment.

"Oi, wait up!" He yelled after her, a troubled look on his face. "Didn't you forget something?"

Confused, Maka looked down and didn't noticed anything missing as she walked back towards him. "I'm dressed and my wallet is in my back pocket. What could I forget?" She curiously asked, not noticing the sly grin on his lips as his hand caressed her cheek and pulled her chin up.

"This," He murmured, his lips reaching down to hers and leading her in a sensual dance that, if she didn't stop soon, she was liable to ditch Tsubaki for. "I'll text you tomorrow when I get off from work. I'll talk to you later," Soul said, leading Maka to her car and even going as far as opening the door for her before she finally drove off.

Please read all of the author's note before exiting please!

**A/N: So I finally finished the second chapter and I've decided to change to plot just a tiny bit, but nothing that would alter anything I said in the first chapter. Just changed how the packs going to react and stuff like that, mostly thoughts in my head that I finally organized. **

**But, how'd you like? I did the first four or five pages weeks ago before school got hectic and finally finished these last two and a half. So, if they seem a little different that might be why. **

**Oh, and for those who like an AU fanfic, all human, for Soul Eater, check out my one shot series. It's called Violinists Aren't THAT Bad and it's about Maka if she were musically inclined and how she'd react if she met piano inclined Soul. Different plots and settings but I need ideas. Right now the only inspiration I have for one-shots is a series for the same universe as Douche Bag, which I've gotten good reviews about. So if you read and think that you have a good prompt, feel free to send one in. I need prompts to get the creative juices flowing (really, I do). **

**Other than that, I just have to tell everyone that it's going to be a little while before I get another chapter for any of my stories out. We literally have a week and a couple of days before finals and it's going to be very hectic until then. A six page paper and a ton of teachers who think that it's a good idea to test students so close to exam week equal a very stressed out author. The stress is getting so bad that I've starting breaking out and it's so annoying because that **_**never **_**happens. **_**Never**_**. So I'm not in a very good place right now to write. But I'm trying. Again, prompts for one shots are welcome and any review will be replied to, even if not logged in. Just put your username in the review and I promise I'll reply soon. **

**Well, I've got to go, so bye! Promise to get a new chapter out as soon as possible!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**A/N: So I started this chapter on May 5 but no guarantees on when I'll finally post it. So whatever the day is, I'm sorry I waited so long to finish writing this chapter. Again: exams are not treating me well at the moment, something that is annoying me endlessly.**

**Anyway, real reason for this author's note is that I need help determining who is going to be wolves and who's going to be human. I already have some of the characters determined, but I need help with the more minor characters. Like Kim and Jacqueline, Ox and Harvar, and the like. And I need an idea of who will be Soul's assigned mate. Like who Medusa would choose to be the best match, to make the strongest children for the next generation. Because Medusa, as the leader, controls all of the relationships—one of the main reasons Soul isn't allowed to see Maka. And I don't know how to explain it but as arranged marriage; she picks the couples based on how strong their children probably will be. But it has to be one of the characters from the anime or manga. If anyone has any ideas and reasons for it, send me your suggestions in a review. Or message me. Either way, input is appreciated.**

As soon as Maka found Tsubaki sitting at a table on her own, she could tell that the girl didn't look to happy. Actually, she looked absolutely terrified. She seemed nervous, twitchy, jumping every time she heard something a little too loud. Even Maka, who had never been in that kind of situation, knew that something was wrong. When Tsubaki startled at the sound of Maka pulling out a chair, Maka immediately threw her a worried look. "Tsubaki, what's wrong?"

The older girl shook her head and sighed but still didn't relax her tensed shoulders. "I'm just a little tired, I guess," Tsubaki replied quietly, sipping at the Dr. Pepper on the table.

Maka sat down with a frown. "Tsubaki, you look absolutely terrified of something. You know you can tell me whatever's wrong, right? I can try to help if it's—" She said, blabbering a little as she realized that Tsubaki really _was _afraid of something. The girl Maka knew—quite, confident Tsubaki—didn't get scared by any little thing. "Just tell me what's wrong."

Tsubaki sighed, putting her hands around the moist sides of her glass as she stared into the dark brown drink. "Actually…it's about a guy. You know him. The Evans' son," She says, eyes flickering from side to side as she scanned the restaurant. "Their family…their friends…they're bad news Maka. You shouldn't—"

"What are you talking about?" Maka suddenly asked, sounding surprised. Why would Tsubaki be afraid of Soul, other than his odd looks. Other than the fact that he'd had an almost-one-night-stand with Maka (which, Maka thankfully remember, wasn't a one night stand) there wasn't anything that Soul had done to make her think he was a jerk. "Soul's a good guy."

Tsubaki look at Maka with wide eyes. "Maka, Soul might be a good guy to you, but you haven't known him as long as I have, as long as the city has. Everyone in our part of the city—his former classmates, at least—knows that he's bad news," She told her friend, reluctantly taking another sip from her drink. "Maka, all I'm saying is that there are rumors about him and his friends, stories my older brother used to tell me about Soul's older brother when they were still around. They're-they're crazy," She mumbled unsteadily.

Maka, finally, let her emotions show. And they weren't good. "You're going to listen to idle gossip and rumors? You've _got _to be kidding me. It's like I'm back in Small Town, USA all over again. I left that place to get away from the gossiping old women," Maka muttered in reply, only quieting down as the waitress came to get her drink order. She ordered a water, her voice sharp and cold. "I guess it's the same everywhere."

Tsubaki shook her head, eyes wide and frightened. This time, it wasn't from whatever threat she was hiding from. "Maka, I don't listen to gossip either, but—but—things _happened _in high school. All of us knew about him and his friends. It's not something we bring up too often and I just want to let you know that I think Soul is bad for you. You're not made for the city—for _this _city—like we are. We were raised like this and we know what they're like—"

"I get that," Maka interfered, cutting off her friend as she settled into her chair a little more comfortably. "I know you're trying to look out for me, but I'm not as breakable as I look. I can keep up with the big dogs," Maka replied, smiling at the waitress as she finally brought her drink to the table.

"I don't want you getting hurt, you know that Maka," The brunette murmured quietly, finally losing the tensed shoulders and relaxing for the first time since Maka had walked in. "But I'm serious. I want you to seriously consider keeping away from Evans. Far away."

Maka shrugged indifferently, picking up her menu as she resolved herself to ignoring her friend's warnings. Nothing would change for now, not until Maka finally confronted Soul about it.

As Soul watched his second in command lose yet another piece of prey because of his inability to pay attention, he knew something was wrong. Changing back into his human form, Soul shook out his spiky white hair and dusted off debris from his skin and jeans. No point in trying to clean his feet; they'd just get dirty later. "What the hell's wrong with you today?" Soul called out, startling Blackstar enough to make him jump, even in his wolf form.

The blue grey wolf instantly changed, revealing a slightly shorter yet much more muscled man than Soul who was smiling sheepishly. "I'm just a little…off, today. I guess I'm just tired after last night with the last chick," He replied, running a hand roughly through bright blue hair. "Things today are just off."

"You can say that again," Soul muttered quietly, eyeing a low hanging branch for a few moments before deciding against jumping up there to sit. Instead he chose a large rock, sitting at the very top as he watched Blackstar swing up to the very same branch he'd been watching. "It's not like you to miss three deer in a row, Blackstar. With only one measly doe between the two of us, I think the pack will think we're losing our edge," Soul joked.

"At least you have an excuse," Blackstar replied with a sly grin, leaning against the bark of the tree trunk. "Your ceremonies were yesterday and your ritual last night. Which, by the way, who'd you end up going home with last night? Was it the tiny chick, super skinny, blonde hair?"

Soul nodded, his grin absent although he very much wanted to share with his best friend, his favorite comrade just how much he actually liked the 'tiny chick'. But with the pack as strict as it was about liaisons humans, Soul knew that anything he told Blackstar would just put him in danger if it ended up coming out. So, as much as Soul wanted to scream to the heavens about the girl he'd met last night, he was silent. "She was pretty nice."

"Pretty nice? Is that code word for bad in bed or what?" Blackstar joked, smiling widely as Soul let the smallest of smiles slip, shaking his head.

"You are a terrible man, Blackstar. I dread the day that you find out who your mate is. That woman will no doubt put you in your place," Soul replied, watching as the always happy Blackstar finally went silent. "Man, something I said?"

Blackstar turned his head away, hiding his face. "It's nothing you said man. It's this entire pack, what we have to put up with! That little witch thinks she can control us all, every aspect of our lives. She's ruined our lives, don't you see? They leave us with nothing else to go to. They alienate us from humans, making us think that they're lower than us and the humans thinking that we're bad guys. There are times—"

"Stop, Blackstar," Soul finally said, holding up a hand to stop his friend from saying anything else. "I don't want you saying anything that will get you in trouble later. You know they can force the truth out of someone and I don't want to be the one who sends you to your death," Soul replied sullenly, looking up towards the sun. "It's almost noon. We should probably finish up hunting before we head back."

With a dreary nod, Blackstar followed his future Alpha's actions and changed back without a moment's hesitation.

**A/N: So, yeah, a short filler but it was the best I could come up with besides going straight to their lunch date and another character introduction, Maka's boss. I think you guys will like the next one, but I could always be a little off. But, just a little hint, she's bubbly, has blonde hair, and has bit of a complex when it comes to guys (guessed yet? Send me who you think it is in a review. If you're right, I'll send you a sneak peek of the next chapter **_**and **_**a cyber cookie. Who doesn't want cyber cookies?) But, anyway, I'm introducing her and, later on, her husband, which will be important for the plot. Just like Tsubaki's practically imaginary boyfriend who, I might add, no one has tried asking me who it is yet (is it **_**that **_**obvious you guys? Lol) **

**Well, anyway, review and guess who you think Maka's new boss will be and if you're right, I'll send you a sneak peek as soon as I can. And it's going to everyone who guesses right, not just the first one so don't not guess if you think you're too late (unless, of course, the next chapter is already up. Then it's just cyber cookies :\ )**

**Anyway, hope you liked the chapter! And R&R please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A/N: So, at the time that I'm writing this only one person guessed Maka's boss correctly, but the username they put in the review wasn't specific enough so I couldn't find them :\ So, Jasmine, I'm sorry for not sending you a sneak peek but I tried.**

**And there also comes the thanks to my readers and reviewers, but I want to give a special thanks to Stre for such a good idea for Soul's mate. It was better than any person I could come up with and I'd like to thank her for the awesome idea. If you don't know who it is from the anime by the end of it, I'll have an explanation of who it is at the bottom of the page, in the final author's note. A lot of credit goes to Stre for the awesome idea!**

By the time Maka woke up the next morning, Tsubaki's warnings were far from Maka's thoughts as she remembered just what she had to do. _Ugh…job hunting_, She thought to herself, pulling herself roughly out of the sofa bed to stumble to the bathroom.

After a shower and brushing her teeth, Maka emerged refreshed. Dressed in her best dark wash jeans and favorite, softest white button up shirt underneath a black, dressy vest, Maka felt nice. She felt good and happy and, for the thousandth time since she'd moved to the city—excited. Free. In her hometown, it hadn't been easy to get away with something without word getting back to her family. That was why, by the time Maka had gotten to high school, it was a well known fact that ninth grader Mary McDonelly was a 'closet' alcoholic (because how could she be in the closet when _everyone_ knew?) and Trey Ricks was known for his flaking out on almost everything he'd done (from varsity football to the two year old daughter he'd had his sophomore year).

So, for good reason, Maka was happy to be out of her hometown and out from under their scrutiny; no doubt, by now, the entire town was talking about how Maka had left town. Her mom would be spreading some kind of cover up about her going to a school or something, anything to keep the not-so-perfect family image.

_Well, _Maka thought as she ran a hand through her drying blonde locks, pushing down the lever on the toaster so she could start her breakfast. _At least I don't have to worry about everyone knowing my business. _

Once Maka's toast was done and her hair was dry, Maka held her breakfast between her teeth as she went to the bathroom to finish her hair. She pulled it all back and put it into a messy bun, letting her bangs hang in her face. It made her look a little older, something that would help with getting a job; places tended not to hire if you only looked sixteen.

Once done, Maka pulled on some slacks as she grabbed her keys in one hand and her resume in the other, one piece of toast left between her teeth. Her phone in her pocket, Maka was quick to check her phone for any messages before she took off. And what did she see but a text from not only Tsubaki but also Soul.

**From: Tsubaki  
>At 7:32 a.m.<br>Good luck on the job hunting :)**

**From: Soul  
>At 7:46 a.m.<br>Hope you find a job.  
>And txt me if you can still make lunch. Can make it any time after 12<strong>

Maka smiled and sent him a quick text back telling him that twelve was fine, just to text her address to wherever he wanted to go so she could look up directions. A quick okay and Maka was on the road, heading to her first interview.

At the text, Soul found himself being woken up. He'd fallen asleep after lying down for just a few minutes after texting Maka. But he didn't mind; just texting her made his bad mood go away. It didn't matter that it was something pointless like lunch. Just the thought of her made his thoughts finally stray away from the depressing affairs of the pack.

And just like that, his bad mood returned as he heard the pounding on his door. "Soul!" A voice boomed from the other side. "Lady Medusa is here and is waiting to speak with us. You're expected in the sitting room in ten minutes, looking acceptable."

Who called it a 'sitting room'? Only Soul's family it seemed, who always put on airs when 'Lady' Medusa showed up at the house. Of course, almost everything these days seemed to set the blonde snake lady off. It was most likely in their best interests to appease her, but sometimes Soul got tired of it. Hell, he was tired of it before she even showed up.

So, to make sure that they stayed on Medusa's good side, Soul quickly got out of bed and changed into his pair of nice jeans and the dark blue button up shirt that Soul knew his parents liked him to where. Although the color clashed terrible with his pale hair and red eyes, Soul put it on with a grimace and made sure to put on some extra deodorant to make sure he didn't smell terrible. While Medusa couldn't smell him, his parents—and not telling what other wolves might be in the house—could. And Soul wasn't entirely careless.

So it was that Soul walked out of his room a few minutes later, his phone stash deep in his back pockets—all of his texts erased, just in case. If Medusa thought herself all powerful, not even she could get his delete texts. Nor could she read his mind, unless she wanted to use the snakes on him. But she didn't use that unless someone had been accused of something and wouldn't admit to it.

As soon as Soul walked into the living room, he found himself walking right into awkward silence. Other than the sounds of Soul's mother walking around and serving tea, everything was deadly quiet.

In the living room sat Soul's father on the two seater, his mother's spot empty since she was walking around. Medusa was seated comfortable in the recliner, watching everything with an amused smirk. Blackstar was there too, surprisingly, looking like he was only moments away from attacking something or barging out of the room. He sat on his own, clenching the armrests as tightly as he could, his knuckles white.

And in one of the two seats of the other couch was a girl, her eyes downcast and her scent reeking of fear and submission. The girl sat straight with her hands lying in her lap. Her hair, a dark array of reds and oranges, was long and pin straight. Her bangs were pinned back , leaving her face clear to look upon the scene in front of her. Her eyes, looking at nothing but the floor, were dark brown, so dark they nearly looked black.

"Lady Medusa," Soul bowed his head as he walked in, waiting for Medusa to say something, anything to help him make sense of the situation. "As always, it is a pleasure to see you again."

Medusa's smirk widened into an outright smile, cruelty etched into her features. Her golden eyes were hard and cold as she stared at the future alpha who, Soul knew, was always going to be under her control. "I am always in awe at the nature of young men these days, always trying to appease their leaders with sweet talk. Fortunately in your case, Soul Evans, it works." With a nod, Soul finally moved to sit—back ramrod straight—in the only available seat next to the frightened girl.

"Now, as you probably know, dear Dante, Aurora," Medusa began, referring to Soul's parents as she began sitting up, her elbows rested on the armrests and her hands crossed together. "I am not here for a random house call. I am here because of your son's ceremonies that he recently accomplished. As you know, as soon as one of your people accomplish the task, they are ready for marriage and—consequently—leadership of the pack. And I have come to introduce Soul to his future bride."

Ah, so that explained the submissive woman; she'd most likely been trained since birth to be as she was, to obey her husband. While any other woman in the pack would be allowed to live as they pleased, most likely as a near uncontrollable wolf girl, this girl had been chosen at birth to be married to the alpha male. Therefore, she was docile and fought her nature; Soul knew first hand from watching his mom just how an alpha female was taught to act.

"While she is now Soul's chosen, it wasn't always so. Until the disappearance of Wes Evans a few years ago, the little lamb was meant for him. So she is a few years older than you, although I doubt it shall be a problem. So, Soul, say hello to your future wife, Toni Demongra (1)."

After a few hours of job searching, Maka was very ready to give up.

Over half of the interviews had ended early, turning her away as soon as she told them she hadn't yet gone to college but that she was planning to go part time. Apparently a lot of jobs were looking to hire people with some kind of college degree, not a girl who had graduated high school but hadn't had a college close enough to even think about leaving for school.

But then Maka came upon the tiny book store. Along main street in the city, it was right next to a coffee shop and a small but nice looking clothes store that had pretty clothes right in the window. It had two or three stories above it, but it looked nice enough. It might've been a hole in a wall but it was pretty busy for a book store.

Maka walked in with little hesitation, heading straight for the counter. When she found no one there she started looking around. The store was well stocked, mostly with fiction but also with a section of nonfiction. Nicely arranged, the space didn't seem crowded. Actually, it seemed almost spacious.

About ten minutes after she'd walked in, Maka found the owner as she waddled down the aisle. She headed straight for Maka, a huge smile making her look like a very happy mother-to-be. With wavy blonde hair and the smile, Maka thought she looked like quite the happy woman. But then she reached the woman's eyes and kept her own eyes from widening and her gasp from escaping.

The woman's right eye was perfectly fine, a golden yellow that reminded Maka of sunlight. But then she saw the left one and was surprised to find it looking very different. The eye was scratched and scarred four claw marks crossed diagonally across the eye. The eye itself was still there, albeit a very pale yellow, but the skin around the eye was jagged and rough, raised and pinkish in color.

"You look like quite the bookworm young lady," The woman said, putting her hand on her back and the other on a shelf to steady herself. "Are you interested in buying anything today? We have a sale, buy one and get the second half-off."

"Actually," Maka said, moving right past her surprise at the woman's appearance. "I noticed your ad in the paper and I was wondering if the position was still open. I'm looking for a job and—"

"Oh, thank goodness! After Lanie quit months ago, I've been looking for someone to replace her. A lot of girls have tried but weren't expecting quite the workload. They've all quit and while I usually wouldn't mind, being pregnant my husband doesn't like me working as much. If I pick up anything heavier than a couple of books he thinks I'm going to have a miscarriage," The woman said, rolling her eyes as if it was outrageous for him to think that way. "Are you willing to work as cashier and stock girl? I have a guy who does the heavy lifting most of the time but he's not always available so are you okay with picking up boxes and stuff like that?"

Maka nodded happily, relieved to find that—_finally—_someone was willing to hire her. "Yes ma'am. I used to work in a shop back home and I'm pretty used to carrying around heavy loads. And cashier shouldn't be a problem either," She replied quickly.

"Good, then I'll have you start Monday, two days from now. I'll expect you to be here by eight thirty to open for nine. And if you have any problems, feel free to talk to me. It doesn't matter if it's work related or not; I'm always willing to help," The woman said, putting her hand out to shake. "The name's Marie Mjolnir, or at least, _was._ Now it's Marie Stein."

Maka shook the woman's hand and smiled. "The name's Maka, Maka Albarn. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too Maka. Now, if you'd like, I can show you around a little bit and teach you how to work the register so you won't be lost on Monday. How long do you have?" Marie asked, looking to the clock that hung over the bookshelves.

"I have until eleven thirty ma'am," Maka replied, only to get a laugh and a shake of Marie's head.

"You don't have to call me 'ma'am', Maka. I'm too young to be a ma'am. Or am I? Oh god, I hope I didn't get old overnight," The woman joked, leading Maka back to the counter as she put a hand to her belly. "Uness being pregnant turns you into a ma'am, I am most definitely not one."

As Maka followed her, she couldn't help but agree, but for entirely different reasons. Maka didn't know a ma'am that babbled as happily as this one.

When Soul finally made it to the tiny restaurant on the corner of Sunset and Valley, Soul was pissed at best. The only thing keeping him from finding someone to fight was the fact that he'd agreed to meet Maka at twelve fifteen for lunch. On the phone she'd sounded happy and he hadn't wanted to ruin that by canceling their date.

Which was why he was sitting at one of the tiny tables at the restaurant, waiting for Maka to show up from half a day of job hunting. But after her last call, Soul was pretty sure she'd already gotten a job.

While waiting for Maka, Soul found himself thinking back to the meeting he'd had to endure with his family and the witch. As usual, it had been a tense affair with awkward silences and barely concealed anger from Medusa when someone would say something that upset her. More than once Soul had noticed Toni, the older girl, flinching away from Medusa as if terrified.

Soul couldn't understand why Medusa would ever think the red haired girl could ever be a perfect match for him. She was tiny and entirely too docile, not to mention weak. She absolutely reeked of fear and nervousness, not to mention submission—the total opposite of Soul. He was all confidence and strength, even more so than his father. The only thing that he didn't have going for him as an Alpha was the arrogance which, thankfully, seemed to have skipped his generation.

In the middle of his reverie Soul was startled by the sound of the bell at the door ringing as someone walked inside. Looking up, he found the smiling face of Maka looking around until she finally saw him. Then her smile widened and she walked towards his two-person table as she undid the top two buttons of her white button down shirt, letting her hair down around her shoulders before sitting down. "So, how was the job hunting?" Soul asked her, smiling as she leaned over to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

"At first it was annoying, because everyone decided that I looked too young and that I would do better in a few years," Maka explained with a roll of her emerald green eyes. "Only a couple of them didn't turn me away as soon as I got there. But it was pretty obvious that none of them wanted me there, until I got to this little bookstore. The woman there, Miss Marie, she's expecting and ended up hiring me because she needs a lot of help. I got a little held up because she wanted to show me how to do some things before I go in on Monday," Maka said, grinning as she began looking at the menu.

"Sounds like you like her," Soul murmured as he pushed down the menu, giving her a kiss on the lips. "That was for leaving me hanging," Soul joked slyly, laughing as she lightly punched him on the shoulder.

After a few minutes of silence, Soul knew something was wrong; Maka, ever since he had met her, hadn't been this silent. Or, at least, not like this. The quiet was awkward and it looked as if Maka _wanted _to say something but didn't know how to start. Or like she didn't know if it was acceptable to say something.

"Maka," Soul started, watching as she jumped in surprise at the sound of his voice. "Is everything…alright? Did I do something wrong?"

Maka shook her head, a relieved smile on her face. "No, it was nothing you did Soul. I just have a lot on my own is all. Just something one of my friends told me," She replied quietly, releasing a small yawn right after. "Oh, I guess I'm a little tired too. I think when I get home I'll be relaxing for a while. Snuggle up on the couch with a big blanket and a good book and I'll be more than comfortable."

"How about I go back with you and help you get comfortable. I hear a guy's chest makes a pretty good pillow," Soul jokingly replied, smiling proudly as he got a laugh out of Maka, who nodded in agreement. "So let's order and get it to go, shall we?"

"We _shall_," Maka drawled, her hometown accent coming through. It was a lot like the city people's accent but with a bit of a southern drawl to it. It made him think of cowboys and rodeos, of the little town Maka barely spoke of. "Waiter, we'll have…"

Sneak peek opportunity at bottom of author's note.

**1) Toni Demongra—Little oni, the demon inside Soul's head, is the character from the manga that she suggested for Soul's mate. Because of the story being AU, it leads to being allowed some creative license, i.e. the ability to make **_**him**_** a**_** her**_** and turn the her into a human. Dark ginger hair, brown-black eyes, pale skin—she might look docile but she's anything **_**but**_**. Oh, and her name is an indicator—Toni (oni) Demongra (Demon). Oni, as in little oni. Demon, as in, well, **_**demon**_**. **

**A/N: So, yeah, there's the chapter. I read over it and I think I could've done better (wired on coffee=terrible writing) and there's also the fact that I'm so stressed out over finals. I know I said that last chapter but it's definitely the truth. If I want to pass geometry with a good grade I have to do pretty damn good and that's practically impossible. I'm not worrying about Spanish, Civics, or English, but I'm definitely worrying over Religion, Geometry, and Chemistry. Religion it's just **_**so much**_** and geometry is math **_**with definitions and theorems**_**. Only bright side is that we get a piece of copy paper to use as a cheat sheet, front and back, and we're **_**allowed **_**to cheat. **

**And I just found out today that I'm going to be in the Law/Psychology class our school has, with my favorite teacher teaching it. I don't know about ISTA (Independent Study of Technology Applications: everything related to computers) but I'm kind of nervous since it looks like I'm going to be the only girl in there since my friend looks to be failing :( Talk about a letdown. **

**Anyway, what will I be having for a contest this time? The prize is a sneak peek of the next chapter of course but I can't decide what the question's going to be. Maybe something random, I guess. Okay, how about this: what's the name of the third gorgon sister? Here's a hint: she's in Soul Eater Not! As the main antagonist and her animal (like Medusa's is snakes and Arachne's is spiders) is scorpions. **

**Now no looking it up! Whoever gets it right, no matter how many people have guessed it right, will get a sneak peek. And be sure to put your username in the review if you want to get your sneak peek!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**A/N: At this point, I've finished pretty much my hardest exams and only have English, Spanish, and P.E. left. I'm so ready for school to be over, but it seems like it's taking forever for the exams to go by. But it's so close! No wonder I'm impatient. And also, sorry to all reviewers! I totally meant to reply to everybody but time's just flown and before I knew it had been months and I figured it's a little late to reply to every single one of you. So, for all of you who reviewed, thanks for reviewing and I **_**promise **_**that I'll reply next time. Again, I'm sorry :(**

**Anyway, I'm gonna keep this author's note short and just get on with the chapter since I have nothing better to say :\**

Maka was, to say the least, disappointed by the time eleven o' clock rolled around and Soul said he had to head home. "I would stay if I could, you know I would," Soul murmured as she rested between his legs, her head cushioned on his chest. Her eyes were fluttering closed as she felt her exhaustion pressing in on her. But her exhaustion was nothing on the emotions she felt now.

"I know," Maka muttered quietly, turning her head to look up into his ruby colored eyes, hidden behind perfectly white hair. "You need a haircut," Maka told him, tugging gently on one of the locks. She smiled softly as she felt the rumbling in his chest, near silent laughter.

"I've been meaning to, really," Soul replied, moving to wrap his arms around Maka. "I promise I'll try to set up something soon. I'm just busy at work." Soul mumbled, moving slightly—but enough to alert Maka to the fact that he was ready to leave. Sighing, she finally sat up and stretched, watching with a pout as she stood up and yawned. "I'll text you tomorrow, okay?" He told her, leaning down to place a kiss on her lips, taking a few extra moments than necessary before standing back up.

Maka reluctantly got up and followed Soul to the door, telling him goodbye before he left. Another kiss and some footsteps and he was gone.

As soon as Maka closed the door she realized that she was more tired than she'd first realized. As she walked back to the couch to pull out the bed, she felt her feet dragging and becoming heavier with each step. By the time she got to the couch she was too tired to even think about pulling out the lumpy mattress. Instead she collapsed on the soft upholstery, wondering why she was so tired.

Before she could figure out why, Maka closed her eyes and let her dreams take hold.

_Maka felt the sensations with intense familiarity, as if this had happened before. It was borderline excruciating, all while a delicious feeling was settling over her. It was as if this form was second nature to her, from the long, thin, and gangly legs to the lengthened muzzle and enlarged ears. _

_Every scent was magnified and she could hear every sound with perfect clarity. Then she could smell her target, the mouthwatering scent sending her into motion. She took off and could feel the cool ground beneath her feet as she ran. The air flowing across her skin cooled her down, flowing through her fur as she felt her ears pressed against the back of her head._

_As Maka felt herself getting closer, something pricked at her back and made her feel uneasy. She shook her fur once, twice, only stopping when the feeling ceased. But it wasn't long before it began again, this time a burning that stopped the girl in her tracks._

_On her back she could feel a burning that spread from her shoulders down to where her tail started, branching out across her shoulders and sides. She kept on shaking, trying to get rid of the painful feeling of something on her back. She couldn't get it to stop, couldn't get the burning to go away. Her body began shaking with tremors and she tried to get to her back but her paws just couldn't reach. She rolled to her back, feeling tears stinging at her eyes—_

With a gasp and a shooting pain in her back, Maka woke up in a tangle of blankets, arms, and legs. Her back was arched as she tried to ride out the pain from falling off the couch, gasping for air, the wind knocked out of her.

When she finally found herself able to breathe again, Maka realized that her pain wasn't just from hitting the ground. Her back felt like it was practically on fire and Maka felt as if the dream was becoming reality. As quickly as she could she picked herself up off the ground and headed to her bathroom. She started the shower up moments later as she found herself panting to keep in her sobs of pain, making sure the water was cold before she got in—clothes and all.

It took a while before the heat finally died down to a warm simmer, less painful and more soothing than anything. But it left Maka too hot to wear any sweats or t-shirts, so she decided on shorts and a camisole so she could keep cool. Then she was back on the couch, this time curled up in a blanket as she watched some late night TV, nursing a cup of tea.

The TV was nothing short of a distraction as her mind kept going over and over what she could've been dreaming of. It hadn't been the first time she'd had a dream where she woke up in pain, but it had never been as bad. Nearly incapacitated from the burning Maka couldn't figure out what could trigger it. It had always seemed random and sudden but now that she thought about it, the closer she'd gotten to coming to the city the more often these strange dreams occurred.

With a sigh, Maka felt her train of thought just collapse as she remembered just how exhausted she really was. She felt her eyes begin to slowly droop and flutter closed, before she finally fell asleep—this one peaceful and undisturbed by nightmares.

Soul couldn't remember the last time he'd had trouble sleeping.

Actually, Soul remembered, that had been when his brother had suddenly disappeared before his twenty-first birthday. Soul could remember lying in bed, terrified that someone would come to take him in the middle of the night.

But he'd gotten over that years ago, or at least he thought he had. He'd been sleeping like a cub for years since then and hadn't had a problem sleeping since.

But after meeting Maka, the problems seemed to be multiplying with him, with the pack. Actually, that wasn't true, Soul reminded himself. The pack had been a huge problem ever since he'd been announced as the future pack alpha. He'd been told what to do and when, his movements had even been tracked for a while. He'd had to behave for a while before Medusa had stopped watching his every move.

The problems had multiplied ever since he'd come of age and undergone the coming-of-age ritual everyone in their pack had to go through once in their life. It had started when he'd overheard the conversation between Medusa and the other pack's witch, the ones who lived on the other side of the city with more land to their names. From what he'd heard, the two were looking for someone and Soul really didn't want to know who—in other words, he didn't want to get in their way.

While all of those things were making it harder to sleep (along with hoping that no one ever found out about Maka), those were nothing in comparison to the dreams.

Soul had woken up more than once since the ritual with dreams of a strange wolf, her pelt a beautiful ginger, her belly off white. Four white socks and white tipped ears, nothing seemed off about her until she would turn around. Then the wolf would disappear and in her place would be a symbol. A heart in the middle, rays like the sun surrounding it, with something like wings sprouting from each side. Soul had seen the symbol before and could only think of one person.

Maka.

The symbol was as black as ink and more pronounced than most tattoos, Soul had noticed. But he couldn't understand why it would keep on showing up in his dreams, as if it actually meant something. It was a tattoo, Soul told himself, nothing else. It didn't have any special meaning other than 'it looked cool'.

Soul finally shook his head, attempting to get rid of the thoughts bouncing around inside his head. Then he turned over in bed and finally, greatfully, felt himself nodding off.

_Knock, knock, knock. _

Blurry eyed and exhausted, Maka looked up and around her empty living room and, finding nothing, put her head back down so she could get the rest of her good night's sleep. But when the knocking sound persisted, Maka pushed herself on her feet and groaned. Who in their right mind came knocking at only-God-knows-when in the morning?

Maka slowly shuffled towards the door, checking the peep hole. Behind it was Tsubaki, chewing absently on her thumbnail—as nervous habit, Maka had noticed after a few weeks of living with her. Quickly she unlocked the door, looking at her friend worriedly. "Tsubaki, what's wrong? What are you doing here so early?"

"Maka, would you mind if I came in? I…I need to talk to you. And if you don't mind, I brought a…friend here with me. It okay if he comes in with me?" Tsubaki asked, getting a nod from Maka. "Hey, she said it was okay."

Maka barely heard him as he approached, his steps silent before he finally stood under the light. She could barely contain her surprise at his looks; lithe, the body of someone who definitely worked out, tan. His eyes were light blue and—Maka knew it had to be fake—matched his spiky blue locks almost perfectly. "Blackstar, meet Maka, a good friend of mine. Maka, meet Blackstar…my boyfriend."

**A/N: So, you guys probably hate me after no posting for at least a month and a half, but I promise that I've been trying. This chapter is so short because I just couldn't type these past few weeks. I thought I would be able to type more, since it's summer and I had pretty much nothing to do, but writers' block has just been killing me. I haven't been able to write anything! Trust me, I've had the urge, especially with my original stories, but it's been nothing but drawings. Right now I'm going to try to type up some more Soul Eater related stuff while my inspiration is still going.**

**And for the last contest, only one person was able to answer who the third Gorgon sister was. She's the main antagonist in of Soul Eater Not! and her name is Shaula Gorgon. Her animal is scorpions and she's only appeared like three or four times, total, in the spin-off series.**

**For this contest, the question is kind of tricky if you've only watched the anime. Those of you who've read the entire manga, this should be easy. Whats' the name of the only witch meister at Shibusen? Hint: She's one of the more minor meister/weapon pairs in either series. Think lantern. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**A/N: Short author's note this time, mainly about how my updating will be a little sketchy for the next, like, year. Right now I have to read at least two books (one of them being Steve Jobs, which is like a bajillion pages long) in only two and a half weeks. So I'm sorry I haven't been able to update faithfully, but I'm going to **_**try **_**for every other week. **

**Wow, surprised at how many people reviewed after such a long wait. But really, thanks you guys! I always love hearing about how y'all love (or hate) my story. Always such great response!**

**Also, an electricity shortage really pushes you to finish a chapter :P**

**Now, onto the story.**

So this was the guy that Tsubaki was always sneaking off to see, Maka thought to herself. The guy was taller than her, but not by much, but he at least seemed to be quiet like her (1). But he was also nervous, Maka noticed, pacing the length of the living room, back and forth, while Tsubaki sat on the couch next to Maka. His hair—his bright blue hair that Maka knew had to be fake—was in disarray, as if he'd run his hands through it hundreds of times until it finally hadn't been able to take anymore.

"Tsubaki, are you sure he's okay? Is the pacing a…habit of his or something?" Maka asked her friend who was watching Blackstar with pity in her eyes. But now that Maka finally got a good look at her, she could tell that something was wrong with her friend too.

Her usually serene face was clouded with doubt, anxiety, a little concern as she watched her boyfriend's every move. Her hair was a mess, as if she'd pulled it up in a hurry. There were even shadows under her eyes, a sure sign that she hadn't been sleeping. "It's just that this…what he's doing for me…it's not exactly in _his _best interests, nor yours."

Well, that made no sense, Maka thought to herself. "What do you mean, it's not in his best interests. Why'd you two come all the way over here just to tell me _that_?"

Sighing, Tsubaki finally stood up and, carefully, put a hand on Blackstar's arm. The reaction was immediate, Blackstar turning on her with a snarl that quickly changed to a frown. "Oh…Sorry Tsubaki. Doing something like this just makes me worry too much," The young man told her, following Tsubaki as she moved to sit on the only other seat in the living room. Lacking enough room for two people, they improvised, Tsubaki settling on his lap as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"So…what did the two of you think was so important that you had to interrupt my already interrupted sleep at…four in the morning?" Maka asked the two, rubbing the sleep from her weary eyes. "And if it's something, well, stupid, let me please remind you that we can always talk about this tomorrow."

"There isn't always a _tomorrow_," Blackstar sourly retorted, his lips pulling up into something Maka could only describe as a snarl. "There is always something that can make tomorrow disappear!" He nearly yelled, startling Maka enough that her sleepiness evaporated, instead replaced by surprise as she watched Blackstar's eyes, burning with intensity.

"Blackstar, she doesn't know about this city like we do. She didn't grow up here," Tsubaki consoled him, her hand gently pulling at his chin, making him look at her. "She doesn't understand that what we're doing is…dangerous."

Maka sputtered, at a loss for words. "You're meaning to tell me that the two of you are in danger for coming to my apartment? You've got to be kidding!"

Blackstar shook his head, closing his eyes in frustration. "While this is dangerous for a few reasons, that's not what Tsubaki's talking about. The thing that could get both of us in trouble, is the fact that we're dating. And why _I'm _here is because you're about to get yourself in the same situation if you don't stop seeing Soul."

That's when the surprise hit her, never thinking about who might know Soul in the city. When she'd first met him, she hadn't seen any friends with him, no one dancing with him. It had seemed like he was alone. "How do you know Soul?"

Blackstar snorted, as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "I forgot that you're not from the city. Me and Soul, we're practically brothers. We've grown up together and I won't see him or his girl get into trouble, especially not from our…our family," Blackstar replied, face straight and what Maka would have to say a glare. But somehow, she knew it wasn't at her.

"Why would your family care that Soul is seeing me? Isn't there something called freedom in this country?" Maka asked, looking at the clock on the far wall of the room. "Is this what you two decided was so important that you needed to come all the way across the city to talk to me about? You've got to be kidding."

"Maka, it's not just that," Tsubaki piped up, the concern on her face as clear as if she'd written it across her forehead. "Things tend to happen around Soul; you weren't here in high school but we started to get the idea when people started to…disappear. You don't understand what I'm talking about when I tell you that it's better for your health if you stay away from him—from anyone he knows."

Maka couldn't help the nerves that began crawling up her spine, the words sending warning signals straight to her brain. "What…what happened? How long ago was this?"

Tsubaki shrugged but Blackstar immediately began sitting up, careful not to dislodge his girlfriend as his eyes met Maka's. "Soul used to have a brother, the one who was supposed to become…head of the family, I guess you could say. Then, one day, only a few days from his twenty-first birthday, he suddenly disappeared. And I don't mean he ran away or high tailed it out of there. Literally one minute he was at home and the next…Soul went to check his room, had saw him enter it only moments before and he was gone. The window was closed, all of his stuff was just as Soul had last seen it.

"Soul and his brother had been pretty close, so Soul was pretty freaked out by it. He wanted to look for him but no one would. Said they didn't know what happened to him but that he had probably just run from his responsibilities. Time passed, and Soul was in high school. I guess you could say that our group of friends were the 'it' group of the school, but it wasn't because of something we did or said."

"No, it wasn't," Tsubaki softly whispered, looking down at her hands placed carefully in her lap. "We were in the same grade and it was orientation when everyone first saw them. Up until then they'd been homeschooled but, for some reason, they always sent their kids to an actual school for their final four years. It wasn't some big thing they did when they got there or anything—they just walked in the room. Instantly, all of us could tell that there was something…different about them, some change in the air that just scared us. Over the years, it kind of died down, but then…"

"Then the girl disappeared," Blackstar finished for her, leaning back in his seat again, looking at Tsubaki with worried eyes. "She'd been coming onto Soul for a while but Soul hadn't given her a second glance. She'd tried seducing him plenty of times, right in the middle of school, but he'd always told her no. Well," Blackstar said, frowning. "There's only so many times a guy can say no before a psycho starts yelling rape."

"It was a huge deal too," Tsubaki added. "Her dad being the chief of police and her mom a lawyer, it was big news. The rumors around school started circulating that he'd tried seducing her and that when she'd told him no, he'd flipped. It was easy to blame the anti-social one, who hadn't even been to a dance or a party.

"But when the rumors finally reached their height, the girl just disappeared. So did her family. Mom and dad were gone, no other family to their name. And no one would talk about it, but everyone thought they knew what happened. They thought Soul had finally just gotten rid of them and somehow paid someone off so he wouldn't have to worry about a lawsuit. Everyone was scared of him—of his family—ever since."

"That," Maka started, her voice shaky. "That's not possible. Soul is—Soul has never been anything but nice and caring; he's one of the sweetest guys I've ever met. Even though he's sarcastic he's always…sweet. There's no way he did something like you're saying."

"Oh, I'm not," Blackstar replied matter-of-factly. "I'm not saying Soul is a bad guy—he's not. He's one of the best I've ever met—and probably ever _will_. But it doesn't hide the fact that people the cause problems around Soul disappear. Hell, people who cause problems around my _family_ disappear. But it's not something we can control. If we could stop it, if Soul could stop it, we all would. It's not something we want."

"So you're here trying to warn me, is that right? To warn me away from the only man I've ever felt this way about, because of a false rumor? Well let me tell you something," Maka began, her emerald eyes finally regaining that spark they were known for, her suspicions washed away. "There is no doubt in my mind that Soul is innocent of everything and I don't care if there's a risk of being with him. Every day is a risk and God help me if that gets in my way. Did you two say the two of you were in danger while dating? What's the difference?"

"The difference is that I'm willing to take everything thrown my way for her, and she knows it. If something would happen, it would happen to me, because I'm expendable. That's not something I can say for Soul, something I know full well will never be available for Soul. Because he is our future leader and throughout everything, he will be the one taking the pain as an example for the rest of us. Nothing he can do will ever change that."

Shaken, Maka didn't know how to reply. With the fire in his eyes—hundreds of times bright than the little spark in Maka's—he took on an intensity that Maka hadn't seen in anyone before. An intensity that only came with a cost, of having lost someone, something, close to him. "I…I don't understand. Then why is he with me if it's such a big deal?"

Blackstar laughed, a dry, humorless sound. "Because damn it all, somehow, he loves you. He's different, and I know it's something big to say when you've only known him for a few days, but it's obvious. He's not…cold anymore. He actually smiles now; you've, somehow, changed him. But somehow, it makes it worse. Because, if something happens to you, he'll be the one in pain."

*SOUL EATER*

As soon as Tsubaki and Blackstar had left, Maka tried to sleep again but couldn't find solace behind the cover of her eyelids. Every time they would close she would begin thinking and thinking led to questioning her relationship with Soul.

If it were so dangerous for her, why would Soul keep on dating her? If his family found out, what would happen to her? She'd probably disappear like his brother, the girl and her family. Maka couldn't say if she were proud that he loved her so much or mad that he would so blatantly put her in danger.

Before Maka could put too much thought into it, she decided to finally get up and start moving. First she ran herself a shower, nice and warm in the chilly morning. Then she made breakfast, which didn't last long. Her nerves from the talk with Tsubaki and Blackstar remained, leaving her too high strung to eat. More than half ended up in the trashcan.

Before Maka could clean up from cooking, she was startled by the sound of a text. Somehow she knew, before she even looked, just who it was from.

**From: Soul  
>At 7:22 a.m.<br>Hey you want to meet up for lunch ltr? Vega's on main.**

Sighing, Maka couldn't help the depressed mood it put her in to think about what Blackstar had told her about. If it didn't have to do with her health and safety, maybe she wouldn't have sent her next message, or maybe she would've started to flirt like they usually did. But instead, she typed out only five words, nearly bringing herself to tears as she did.

**To: Soul  
>At 7:26 a.m.<br>Yeah. We need to talk.**

Sneak peek opportunity at the bottom

**(1) This is Blackstar being completely serious, not how he usually is. But, also, Blackstar is going to be a little more serious and less 'I will surpass God' in this story, but he still has his moments. His parents are definitely going to come into play though, so you will definitely hear more about him and his habits later on in the story.**

**A/N: So, can anyone guess what Maka's going to be doing next? I know you guys might hate me but the story needs to start moving and this is one of the best ways I can do it—and one of worst ways too probably. But let me put it this way—it's only going to last for a couple of chapters, at most.**

**Anyway, I've had a few people guess chapter five's question right, but I think it was because it was so easy :P It was Kim, who (for those of you who haven't read the manga) is actually a witch that decided to become a meister at Shibusen. From what I've seen in the story, her animal is either a raccoon or a fox (I can't tell which one). **

**Anyway, onto this chapter's sneak peek question: What is the name of the bar/club that Spirit frequents? Hint: Risa and Arisa, both from the manga, are the one's mostly with Spirit, when he's not with Blair. Oh, and Blair works there.**

**And am I the only one who realized that Soul Eater finally has 100 chapters? I absolutely love the series and can't wait for more!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**A/N: Gah! Really don't want to write this next chapter, but alas, it must be done :'(**

**I really hope you guys don't hate me for this! But I promise, it won't last long!**

Maka couldn't keep telling herself that this was a good thing. It didn't _feel _like a good thing. Maka didn't _want _it to be a good thing. Because if it was good, that would mean that it was supposed to make you feel better. And she didn't want to feel better.

Actually, she wanted to just stay home and curl up in bed with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate, so she could just forget about any of the conversation she'd had with Blackstar and Tsubaki.

But that couldn't happen, because she could remember it with clarity, the entire conversation with Blackstar. She couldn't ignore something like this; something that could very well _kill _her, all because she was dating someone. So she made the only decision she could.

*SOUL EATER*

Maka took advantage of her day off and headed downtown before lunch, so she could at least try and get her bearings before her 'date' with Soul. _Damn it Maka, pull yourself together, _She thought to herself, tears already pooling in her eyes as she thought about what she had to do in less than an hour. _This is…this is stupid! You're only doing this to protect yourself! You shouldn't care this much!_

But Maka couldn't kid herself. As she pulled up to the little café on main, Maka found herself wiping away tears as she got out of her car. Her hands immediately flew to her skirt, holding it down as a strong breeze blew through before she grabbed her purse and took off for the front door of the café. "God, the weather is pretty bad," Maka muttered to herself.

Maka chose a table in a corner of the restaurant and ordered a small coffee, black, and a blueberry muffin. When both arrived at her table, a smiling barista telling her to have a nice day, Maka couldn't help the frown that slowly crept onto her face. The blueberry muffin smelled overly sweet, her coffee too bitter. Both made her want to gag, but she tried her best to smile at the barista and reply with a thank you before she pushed the food and drink to the side.

Her food remained untouched the entire time Maka sat waiting for Soul and she only used the coffee to warm up her hands. Every now and then she push a lock of hair behind her ear or fiddle nervously with one of her bracelets. She felt as if she were about to explode from all the nerves she felt and almost got up to leave—until the door opened and Maka looked up to find Soul walking in.

Maka couldn't immediately tell what it was, but Soul looked different. Cleaner. Then he smiled and Maka knew exactly what it was. "You cut your hair," Maka murmured, watching as he sat down, his crimson eyes in clear view now that they weren't hidden behind the spiky locks. "When I said you needed a haircut, I didn't think you'd actually listen to me."

Soul smirked as he leaned on the table, resting his elbows on top. As his eyes met hers, Maka looked away, suddenly remembering what she'd come to do. Unfortunately, Soul noticed. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, voice going soft as he leaned in just a little closer, reaching for one of her hands that were wrapped around the ceramic mug.

The instant his hand touched hers Maka flinched away from his touch and Soul noticed. Out of her peripheral vision she watched as his face fell, his shoulders slouched and his eyes losing their amused glint. "Maka, tell me what's wrong. Please. I can't help if I don't know," Soul attempted to joke, but it was obviously half-hearted.

Maka shook her head, eyes closed, face screwed up in what could only be described as pain. "Soul just…don't. Please don't. This is already hard enough," Maka replied softly, her voice cracking as she felt her tears begin to pool.

"Maka, what are you talking about?" Soul whispered in reply, a hint of desperation in his otherwise cool tone.

"I had an interesting conversation last night," Maka began, still avoiding Soul's eyes. "With two people who knew you since you were younger. And they warned me of any relationship with you wouldn't exactly be…_safe_. And...I really like you Soul…but I can't be with you. I want to—God I want to—but if it's not _safe_—"

"And who the hell told you that?!" Soul whispered, the anger in his voice nearly making Maka cringe. Her eyes flitted about the room, watching for any signs that the other patrons could hear their conversation. "Stop worrying about everyone else and ans—actually, don't answer that. I don't care who it was; all I care about is why it would make you think that."

For a few minutes Maka was quiet, focusing on her coffee. "What about the girl in high school? She yelled rape and her family disappeared. What about them?" Maka solemnly asked. "I know you didn't do anything but…Soul…people in your life tend to disappear. It's dangerous to be around you. And I can't…I didn't come to the city to act reckless and be the kid my parents always thought of me as. I came here to grow up. And I can't grow up unless I start to act like it. So…I'm breaking up with you, Soul."

Soul shook his head, disbelief evident in his expression of hurt, pain. "Maka, don't do this. Please. I'm _begging _you, don't do this," Soul pleaded, his eyes beginning to shine with pooling tears. Maka had to look away before her own tears, held back since she'd read his text, finally began to fall. Watching her ignore him, Soul finally looked down at his hands, clenched in fists. "Could you…could you tell me who it was. Anyone…anyone I'm…not related to."

"My friend, who helped me get to the city. And her boyfriend. They talked to me this morning," Maka replied, slowly standing up from her seat, the legs lightly scratching the hardwood floor. "But Soul…this doesn't change what I think about you. You're still one of the nicest guys I've ever met," She said, bending down to land a kiss on his cheek. She felt him stiffen in response, the almost silent sound of a sniffling nose. "I guess this is goodbye."

Maka finally walked away and towards the doors of the café, trying to keep herself from looking back. Because if she did, she knew she'd be running right back into his steady arms, searching for his warm embrace.

But if she had looked back, she'd have found her favorite crimson eyes staring angrily at her remaining coffee cup, blazing crimson as his lips pulled up into a sharp snarl. "_Blackstar_."

*SOUL EATER*

When Soul got back to the club the pack owned, Howl, Soul knew that almost no one would be there. The only ones who frequented the club during the day were Sid, the owner and a high ranking pack member, and Blackstar, who was practically Sid's son—in the sense that he'd raised the blue-haired-beta.

Soul went in expecting to find Sid, but instead, all Soul could find was Blackstar carrying some boxes. "Oh, hey man, your parents were looking for you—"

"You fucking hypocrite!" Soul snarled, suddenly charging Blackstar and pinning him against the nearest wall. The boxes he'd been carrying fell to the ground with a crash, forgotten as the two growled at each other. Soul could feel his canines sharpen, his hair standing on end like the hackles of a wolf, his wolf. "I should tear you to pieces right now!"

Suddenly, Blackstar's face fell, completely emotionless. "So she told you, huh? Or did you smell me? Because she didn't seem the type to snitch."

"Does it matter?" Soul growled, holding in the urge to punch something, anything. "It wasn't your right to talk to her! You didn't have the right to tell her about those—people."

"Were you ever going to tell her man?" Blackstar asked, his voice flat. "You haven't talked about it with any of us since the day it happened. Hell, since it started. What makes you think you would've told _her_?" Blackstar met Soul's eyes, blue meeting crimson, and Soul didn't feel the usual urge to get angry, to show who the alpha was. Instead, the staring contest ended with Soul looking away, something he only did to his own Alpha father.

"You don't get it. She was different…I would've tried leaving the pack for her. I would've admitted everything, if it meant staying with her. I would've done anything for her, Blackstar," Soul murmured, dropping his head as he felt the stinging in his eyes. "But now, I've got nothing but the pack left. I'll have to become alpha, marry that…girl. You don't understand what it's like to be the alpha, Blackstar, to be your only brother's replacement."

"Do you think it's easy being in my position?" Blackstar growled in reply. "I had to work to get where I am now and I still can't get away from the older wolves. Live a day in my life and you'll find out that you're not the only one with problems. Every single one of the pack has one, living under that witch," Blackstar retorted, his snarl beginning to return—only to be stopped by the sound of a girl.

Quiet, Soul hadn't noticed Tsubaki until she spoke. And when he turned to look at her, he found the fiery glare of Blackstar's girlfriend. "So you're the mastermind of all of this, huh?" Soul inquired dryly. "I guess I have to thank you for Maka breaking things off."

"So she finally did it? I thought she might back out," Tsubaki replied, keeping her eyes right on his. "But you know as much as we do that she doesn't deserve to live life looking over her shoulder. Or even worse, not knowing anything at all. She didn't grow up here, doesn't know about your…family, like the rest of us do." Tsubaki finally looked away, but not in submission. Instead, it was to check on her boyfriend. "Blackstar, are you okay?"

Soul, finally realizing he was still pinning Blackstar against the wall, hands gripping at the collar of his shirt, finally let go of Blackstar. "Of course he's fine," Soul snapped. "Do you really think I'd hurt him.?" He asked, freezing as he finally got a whiff of the quiet, brave girl he'd only met once or twice. "Wait, you—your smell."

Finally the girl smirked, finally showing some trace of emotion other than worry about Maka or Blackstar. _That explains it, _Soul thought to himself as he stared at the girl, all the pieces coming together. "I was wondering when you'd finally figure it out."

*SOUL EATER*

Maka had tried heading home but about halfway there she got a call. "Maka I know I told you that you didn't have to come in until Monday but my stock girl's mom is in the hospital so she has to tend to her. Do you mind coming in for about an hour, just to help me to put some stuff in the computers?" Miss Marie asked, her desperation clear across the phone.

Sighing, Maka replied. "Yeah, I'm free for the day. I'll head over there now."

After thanking her Miss Marie hung up and Maka, driving home, made a quick u-turn to head back into the city. The drive was rather short which didn't bode well for Maka. Her eyes were red and it was obvious to anyone that looked at her that she'd been crying. Tears had made trails down her cheeks and her skin was becoming almost raw from wiping them away. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were shadows under them from her lack of sleep—in a nutshell, Maka knew she looked like complete crap.

But she'd promised to help so Maka drove back into the city in her forlorn state, trying to keep herself from crying again. And as soon as she parked, she knew that it would be tough to be around happy Miss Marie, with her husband and a baby on the way. What some would call a perfect family, perfect life.

Parked, Maka waited in the car, unable to bring herself to get out. She could feel the tears pooling, the slight sting as they tried to fall before Maka would wipe them away. She pressed her forehead against the top of her steering wheel and ran her hands through her already disheveled hair as she tried to hold in the sobs that were fighting to come out.

Her breakdown only lasted a few minutes before there was a knock on the window and she turned to find Miss Marie looking at her with caring, mismatched eyes. "Are you okay in there?" She asked, opening Maka's door and leaning down to get eye level with the younger blonde. "Oh dear, how about you come inside and we'll have a nice cup of tea? And we'll have a talk about whatever has you in this state," Miss Marie murmured, backing up as Maka unbuckled and got out of her car.

Slowly Maka got out of the car and closed it behind her, following Miss Marie to the closed book shop. Once inside, Miss Marie bypassed all of the boxes and went straight to the backroom, motioning for Maka to follow. "This was originally a closet but I got them to make it a little bigger and into a kitchen, so this is where most of the girls hang out when they're on break. For future reference, you're welcome to anything in here, from coffee to tea, and you can use the fridge but make sure you put your name on anything you store in there. Now, where's my kettle?"

As Marie shuffled around the small kitchen, Maka sat down in the table set into the wall, a U shaped booth around it. "Just make yourself comfortable while I make the tea, then we can talk," Marie told her, flitting from cabinet to cabinet until she finally pulled out a tea kettle. Maka could hear ever little sound she made, from the loud _tap, tap, tap _of her short heels to the almost silent hiss of nearly boiling water.

"Maka, you look a little overwhelmed. Is there anything you'd like to talk about, get off your chest?" Marie asked before sitting down across from Maka. "You seemed a little upset."

"It's just…"Maka began, trying to get the words out but not knowing how to explain. "I…I was told some things about a guy I was dating and…God, I need to stop crying!" Maka said, once again wiping at her cheeks, choking on a humorless laugh. "In the end I decided to break it off, because what they'd told me—I didn't want to though. Part of me just didn't care. And then I've been feeling…off."

"What you did was probably the right thing," Marie replied, looking a little worried. "But I'm a little more worried about how you're feeling. Anything in particular? Feeling sick or ill?"

Maka shrugged. "It's not like I'm sick or anything; I just feel…off. I'm a moodier—I don't think I'd be crying now if not for my moods being skewed. And my senses…right now I can _smell _the water in that kettle, can _hear _the tiny bubbles as reach the surface. I can even hear the hiss of steam coming out of the kettle now, even though it's not done and it shouldn't be possible. And my back, it's been burning every time I wake up lately. Not to mention the dreams that turn into nightmares," she explained, wincing as she heard the sharp whistle of the tea kettle, steam pouring out.

"Hmmm…well, I'm not a doctor but you could talk to my husband about it. If you want he'll be home in a little while, get his opinion," Miss Marie offered, pointing up to the second level of the building. "Speaking of, I should probably start cooking dinner so we can eat when he gets here. You're more than welcome to join us, Maka, unless you want to go home and relax…"

Maka shook her head and tried her hardest to smile, wiping her eyes for what she hoped was the last time that night. "I think it's better if I don't go home right now, less time to wallow," Maka replied.

"Okay then I'll just get the kettle and bring it upstairs; follow me, it'll just take a second," Miss Marie said, picking up the kitchen before transporting it up a set of stairs along the back wall of the store. Maka followed, noticing the smell changing as they started to ascend. She could tell that she and her husband were pretty much the only ones to use the stairs, which meant they didn't usually offer to help the help.

There was a landing and then a door, which Marie pushed open with ease. Then they were standing in the spacious living room, the dining room on the other side of the room, the kitchen on the other side of a row of cabinets. Maka noticed a hallway but didn't investigate; from the smell, it seemed to include what Maka thought was the master bedroom, a baby room (from the stench of baby powder and wipes), and a bathroom. There might have been a guest bedroom but Maka couldn't be sure without checking.

"So, anything about your symptoms that seem strange? I know that you were telling me about your senses being better but that can be explained by normal circumstances," Marie said, continuing their conversation from earlier as she began preparing the tea. She pulled out milk, sugar, honey, and anything else that might be put in tea but Maka politely declined anything but milk and honey. "How about the nightmares? You mentioned those a little bit earlier."

Maka gave a sheepish smile before rubbing her hand along the back of her neck, her face becoming flush. "Well, I can't tell I they're nightmares or dreams. One moment I'm in pain, like I'm…changing—then the next I feel so free, running around. It feels like I'm a—a wolf, I guess. I'm always running, one way or another, but then something happens. My back starts burning, and it's not just something like icy hot. It's painful and it usually ends up waking me up. I have to sit in cold water for almost an hour before it goes away."

For a moment, Miss Marie hesitated as she went to get something out of the fridge, hand stretched out to grab something. But then she okay, grabbing whatever it was out of the fridge and turning back to Maka with smiles. "It does sound a little strange but my husband would know more than I do. He's studied quite a lot more than me—it's why I'm the one running a book shop," She joked, making Maka give a little laugh in reply.

Maka talked with the older woman for a little while before she heard the peculiar sound of metal against metal, a little echoing click. Then she could hear the almost silent steps of someone—Maka instantly knew it was a man, although she couldn't understand _why_—walking across the bottom floor and up the stairs. When they jiggled the door knob, Miss Marie finally smiled and heard, turning to watch as a middle aged man with blue-grey hair walked in. "You're finally home! I started on dinner a while ago but it's not done yet. Oh, and Stein, this is my new worker, Maka. Maka, meet my husband, Franken Stein."

*SOUL EATER*

"Any news on the target?" A voice hissed, breaking the quiet in the dark room as the lone girl smirked and nodded. "Then tell me girl, before my snakes begin to get hungry."

"He left the restaurant and then immediately headed to Howl, mistress. There he met with the beta, but from what I can tell the two were alone. She on the other hand left and I lost trace of her while she drove. Last reading I received she was heading towards her apartment, nowhere near his location. I am positive that they will not be meeting again, nor did they part on good circumstances; I would not fear that he will help her," the dark ginger haired girl replied, keeping her eyes away from the shadows in front of her.

"Well then, I think that it's time to begin our plan; in a few days we shall gather the pack and tell them that it is time for a hunt throughout the city. Their prey is the girl, and they will bring her in alive. I have quite a few things I can use her for," The hiss came again, venom lacing her words—but also pleasure. "Now go my little oni and prepare yourself; the hunt will begin on sunset in four days."

The girl nodded and smiled, her teeth jagged and sharp. "I shall try to do my best, Mistress Medusa."

Sneak peek opportunity below

**A/N: So, you guys probably hate me right? Well, sorry, but it had to be done. But if it's any consolation it won't last long. One, two chapters at most. Then we'll have some Soul and Maka lovin'—and some wolfy interaction.**

**Okay, so the last question was what club Spirit went to and the answer was Chupa Cabras. It got quite a few people saying it was Cabaret but the club itself was a cabaret club. It's a kind of club not the name. I almost gave in and gave the sneak peek to the people who guessed that but in the end decided not to. But hopefully you guys get this one right and I'll give it to you.**

**This chapter's question: what's the country/state/region that Marie, as a Deathscythe, watches over? Hint: it's said in the anime, it's not supposed to be busy, and other than that I have no idea what else I can use for a hint. So there you go :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**A/N: So school's starting this week… T.T At the moment I'm reading Catcher in the Rye for summer reading and I have to say that it sounds like it was written by a little kid. No offense to the people who liked the book, but I just don't like it. It's supposed to be about this rebellious guy but he comes off as childish instead, at least in this day and age. I have to read it for Dual Enrollment but it doesn't mean I'm going to like it.**

**But anyway, I'm trying to write this chapter as soon as I can, just in case I don't have enough time to type it up in the next couple of weeks because of school. I don't know how hard my classes will be so I might be working on it a little bit more than I usually do. I'll be trying to update as soon as often but it'll be tough until I get a schedule worked out for school.**

A few days later and Maka was again waking up to the terrible burning from her mark on her back, biting her lip to keep from screaming. She felt her canines, sharper than normal, cut her lip before she tasted the bitter metallic taste of blood in her mouth. A hand gripping her upper thigh she could feel the sharpened nails that had started to appear only the night before. She was barely able to stop herself from tearing through the skin, pulling away to instead leave faint scratch marks on the leather couch.

As soon as the pain subsided just the tiniest bit and Maka could once again sense her surroundings, she tried her hardest to get off of the couch—only to fall in a tumble to the floor, groaning through the pain. She managed to pick herself up, using the wall for leverage as she tried to make it to the shower. The only thing that kept her going was the cold water at the end.

Maka turned on the shower and hopped in, barely remembering to remove her clothes. She simply stood there, watching as steam flowed around her like fog, the product of the cold water and her overheated body.

But this time there was something different. She felt…drenched, more so than normal. Weighted down. And when she finally caught a glimpse of her arms, she noticed the hair that she could've sworn hadn't been that dark—ever. She'd always had blonde arm and leg hair, one of the reasons she'd never had to worry about shaving her arms. But now it was darker, almost a dark brown.

Puzzled, Maka decided that as soon as the pain was gone she'd shave, making sure that no one would tell her anything later. So for a little while longer she stood in the shower, resting her head into the crook of her elbow that rested on one of the shower walls.

With the pain finally dissolving, Maka turned to grab her razor, only to find her arm once again light haired. She ran a hand along it but nothing was different, still the same as when she'd fallen asleep the night before. Confused and a little disoriented, Maka shut off the water and got out, wrapping a warm towel around her torso before she headed to her bedroom.

A few rays of light were getting through the curtains and blinds, a sign that Maka had actually gotten close to sleeping through the night for the first time since she'd moved into her own apartment. And also a sign that she couldn't go back to sleep; work was in only an hour, which left her nearly forty-five minutes to get dressed and eat breakfast before she had to leave.

Reminded of Miss Marie, Maka found herself remembering the conversations she'd had a few days ago with the older couple. Dr. Stein had been in the city since he'd been born, much like Soul. And like Maka, Miss Marie—_Marie,_ Maka corrected herself—had only moved to the city in the past five to ten years. They'd met and Dr. Stein had left his family's business to be able to marry Marie.

Except their story actually ended happily, unlike Maka and Soul's, Maka reminded herself solemnly. She'd taken the easy way out, although she knew it wasn't exactly _easy _breaking up with someone that Maka had seriously liked—maybe even _loved, _even if it had only been a couple of weeks, at most, that she'd known him.

Shaking her head, Maka began getting dressed, choosing a pair of dark wash denim short and a pretty baby doll top, remembering what Marie had said about the store being casual. Which meant she could wear shorts and light shirts, a great thing during the simmering heat of the summer.

After glancing at the clock in her room and finding it to be almost seven ten, Maka grabbed a brush from the top of her dresser so she could brush through her hair as she walked into the kitchen. She made a quick breakfast of cereal and then she was nearly running out the room, remembering that she needed to get to leave a little earlier so she could get a cup of coffee on the way.

*SOUL EATER*

Soul woke up with a groan as he sat up on the lumpy couch, running a hand through his hair as he took in the surroundings that definitely weren't his room. Or his _house_, Soul noticed with annoyance. "So sleeping beauty finally wakes up. Did prince charming lay one on you or did the hangover fairy decide to drop off her little gift?" Blackstar's voice rang throughout the tiny living room, making Soul flinch from the pounding it caused in his head.

"Would you shut the fuck up?" Soul growled in reply, a hand pushed against his forehead. He barely managed to keep his claws from coming out, his control almost completely lost. "I have a fucking hangover."

"I would've never guessed," Blackstar dryly replied, one minute sarcastic and then the next minute he was grinning. "Hey babe."

Soul looked up and found the shy grin of Tsubaki as she approached the two of them, letting Blackstar wrap his huge arms around her smaller frame. Not as small, Soul remembered with a sharp twinge of pain, as Maka. "Hey hun. Soul, I'm guessing you went out to Howl again?" Tsubaki guessed, her smile replaced with a worried scowl. "You know you shouldn't be drinking so much."

"Does it really matter to you how much I drink?" Soul snapped in reply, looking up at the two with one eye. "Please tell me the two of you didn't fuck while I was sleeping in the next room. My drunk self would just like to say that he's beyond—"

"Yes it does matter, especially when this is all because of Maka," Tsubaki replied, completely ignoring his second question as she rolled her eyes and pushed away from Blackstar. "At least you know she'll be okay after this," She reminded him, but it did nothing to help his opinion on the matter—or the fact that he still had a pounding headache and every sound was like a sledgehammer against the inside of his head.

"No one's 'okay' in this city and you humans know that best of all." Soul finally picked himself off of the couch and headed in the direction of the hallway. "Or maybe not anymore. If the humans start copying you there won't be any humans to worry. Now if you two will excuse me I'll be taking a shower. I smell like alcohol, axe, and sweat."

Blackstar snorted, yelling after him, "And what clothes are you using? Tsubaki's?"

"You're bunking here; there's bound to be some of your clothes here," Soul retorted, before flinching. "And would you please shut your trap; your yelling is giving my head a migraine."

*SOUL EATER*

Closing time moments away, Maka began shutting down work for the day. Marie had gone upstairs nearly half an hour ago to start dinner so Maka did all of her work alone, even taking time to do all the menial chores before she went upstairs to visit. They'd invited her to dinner for the second time that week, something Maka noticed they only did with her.

It was confusing, being the only one of few that was liked. All the other girls seemed a little jealous of the new girl, even going as far as saying that she only got the good shifts because of her relationship with the boss. Boy had it been nice to see Marie set them straight after that. Marie's mood had turned south quickly, something that Maka told herself to remember if she would ever encounter pregnant women again; mood swings were definitely real during pregnancy and Maka never wanted to get caught in the middle of one. Ever.

Sighing, Maka finally shut down the computer and went to lock the door as she noticed the time. But when she turned to look at the door she had to hold in a surprised gasp as she found herself looking straight into familiar crimson eyes.

"So this is where you work, huh?" Soul drawled, hands in his pockets as he looked around the small bookstore. "I have to admit, this isn't what I pictured when I thought of a bookstore. I was thinking about something like Barnes and Noble."

Even if Soul tried to act cool and relaxed, Maka knew better. He was too tense and he was trying too hard to act nonchalant, a clear sign if Maka had ever seen one that Soul wasn't over the breakup. "Soul, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged, walking a little closer. "I just came in here for a book. That's what people come to bookstores for, right? And Tsubaki mentioned something about a little shop on main…" Soul replied before he mentally kicked himself; Maka didn't know he knew her friend, and he hadn't planned on letting her. "I figure it was okay to come around, as long as I didn't bring anything up."

Shaking her head, Maka turned around and moved the reshelf some books that had been left sitting around. "We both know that you came here with the intent to talk me out of the breakup. You're not fooling anyone, definitely not me. The register is closed anyway so either get out or talk. You have five minutes before I have to go upstairs and help Marie with dinner so be quick."

Immediately his demeanor changed, revealing the guy Maka remembered at the café. Sweet. Caring. A little cocky, but it made him a little more likeable. And now, a little sad. "Maka, you don't understand what you're running from, what I'm _trying _to run from. I didn't do anything and I'm trying to just…get out. It's hard. But I'm willing to do it and you're helping me get there."

Something made Maka want to say that she believed him, that she knew he was trying. But instead she just sighed, ooking up at him with what she knew were tears in her eyes. "Soul, I get that…but until you finally…"

Anything else she might've said was lost as she began to sway, putting a hand to her head as she grabbed hold of the counter to steady herself. Soul rushed to her side, helping her through her weak attempts at pushing him away. "Maka, are you okay?" He asked, concerned, only to catch her as she completely fell into his waiting arms, unconscious. "Maka, MAKA!" He yelled, failing to wake her up, watching as some kind of familiar black liquid leaked from her nose and the side of her mouth.

Only a moment later and a blonde stepped out of a door at the top of the stairs, her mouth wide open as she gaped for a moment. Then she was moving and pushing Soul's hands aside as she began to check on Maka, from her pulse to whatever was coming out of her. "Tell me what happened," Her voice was sharp and no-nonsense, as if she'd been through it before. "Quick, so I can try and help her while my husband gets home."

Lost, Soul couldn't help how he mumbled and stumbled through his words. "We were talking—she was talking and—she just sort of started to fall. I caught her, but—"

"That's going to have to be good enough," Marie murmured, pulling her hair back as she attempted to turn the unconscious girl over. "Soul I'm going to need you to help me turn her over so I can check something," She ordered him, her usually kind voice subdued as she tried to get him to listen. "You need to do it quickly, before her body starts reacting."

Soul wanted to ask her what her body was reacting to exactly but Soul couldn't get the words out. Instead, he did as she asked and gently grabbed Maka's arm and side, rolling her until she was on her side and held her there as Marie poked and prodded. Then she gasped when she pulled down the back of Maka's shirt, pushing Maka closer to Soul as she stood up without help, which surprised Soul when he noticed that she was pregnant. But quickly the though slipped away as she shook his shoulder. "Hurry and pick her up; I'll show you where we can put her until my husband gets home. I'll need to do something about her blood," She murmured, more to herself than to Soul as he picked her up with hardly any trouble.

Marie led him towards the stairs and opened the door for him, pointing at the hallway. He headed in that direction and only stopped when he finally put her down inside the room Marie pointed out. Gently, he lowered her down onto the bed, frowning when he noticed that whatever had been leaking from the corner of her mouth and nose hadn't stopped since she'd fallen in the store. "What…what are you going to do?" He quietly asked, falling to his knees next to the extra bed.

"There's nothing much I _can _do," Marie replied, attempting to turn her on her side again. This time Soul helped without being asked, holding her up. "But I need you to look at this for me and tell me I'm not imagining this."

Reluctantly, Soul moved around the side of the bed to look at Maka's back, her shirt pulled down enough to reveal the inky black tattoo across her shoulder blades. But instead of the normal marking, around it was a layer of what he could only describe as fur. Thick and soft to the touch, _just like a wolf's…_ "Are you sure that this…this is real? There's no way…her scent is exactly the same as when I first met her in that alley…"

Marie sighed, letting the girl fall back against the bed as gently as possible. "The two of you met a couple of weeks ago?" She asked, nodding when he did in confirmation. "There wouldn't have been a change in scent, Soul. Technically, she's been a werewolf her entire life."

There was that word, the one that had been haunting him practically his entire life. "What are you talking about?" Soul asked, trying to sound surprised but falling short. Instead, he sounded emotionless and couldn't care less; the only thing on his mind was Maka, lying still on the bed with fur sprouting out of her back.

"Soul Evans, you know exactly what my wife is talking about," Soul's head turned quickly at the sound of a new voice, finding the worried face of a man Soul knew looked familiar. He watched as the older man removed a pair of glasses, one lens cracked, finally finding the blue gray eyes that Soul, somehow, remembered. "Marie, I'm going to give her something to stop the bleeding. Do you want to explain to the pup in the meantime?"

"Who're you calling pup bastard?!" Soul exclaimed, his lips pulled up in a snarl as he felt his hackles rise in response to his anger. "And why should I let you near her," He questioned him, nearly crouched in front of Maka in a protective stance.

"I'm trying to help her, Soul. So unless you want her to be out cold for a few more days, I'd suggest that you move out of the way. Marie, please?" Stein then moved around Soul, completely ignoring him as he bent down to check over the still girl. Marie nodded and grabbed Soul's arm, steering him away from his unconscious ex and out the door, stopping when they got to the kitchen.

Immediately Marie was flitting from one part of the kitchen to the other with speed that impressed Soul, remembering that one human woman he'd known while she was pregnant had waddled around. She hadn't been nearly as mobile as the woman in front of him and she hadn't been nearly as pregnant. "If you're going to try calming me down before sitting me down to explain, it's not going to work," Soul warned dryly, reluctantly taking a seat at what he guessed was the dining room table.

"Yes, well, I can't exactly say that the tea and calm is for you. I'm almost as worried as you are and this is the only thing that will calm my nerves when I've this anxious," She replied, pouring a steaming cup before sitting down across from him, golden eyes finding his narrowed crimson. "Now, I know you must be worried, but at least try and listen, please?"

**A/N: I know I'm cruel to cut it off here but I know that if I continue this chapter it'll just be a bunch of rambling about Stein and Marie and I don't want it to sound like BS. I want to actually let people enjoy the story instead of skimming through it like I would. So be thankful I haven't continued this chapter because it would, most likely, not do their story justice.**

**As for that, I also had the idea to do a little side story for Stein and Marie—after at least the first story of course. Not long, just three parts at the most. I like the prospect of Stein going from grumpy and distant, to reluctant friend, and finally loving boyfriend/husband. Stein is always so cryptic in the book that I think it would be nice to see his caring/loving side for a few chapters.**

**And for next chapter's sneak peek just review and you'll get one. It's enough to hear how much y'all love the story. Also, it'd be awesome if some of you reviewed with more than 'the answer is…', cuz I love hearing what you guys have to say about the story. I read and reply to every review so if you're worried that I won't—don't be! Those of whom actually type up a comment other than 'the answer is…' know that I can start talking about practically anything I read. It's the side effect of being a nerd :P**

**So, please, review with an actual review. It makes is just a little bit easier to type each chapter knowing I have people who read and love my story.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**A/N: Just checked the review count and I'm up to 50+ for only 8 chapters, which is more than any other story I've put on here. Thanks to everyone that's taken the time to read and review—love reading what you guys leave for me. **

**So, any ideas about where this is going you guys? I'd love to hear any thoughts y'all have. Bet no one will be able to guess what's going to happen soon…**

Soul sat at her bedside, silent and thoughtful as he watched over Maka's still body. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, her body changing with each passing moment. The fur that had been centered around her tattoo had spread, covering some of her shoulders and part way up her neck. Her nails were sharper than usual, resembling claws. Every so often she would open her mouth and Soul could spy the sharpened teeth that usually only appeared during a change.

There was no way…Maka couldn't be changing. He'd known her practically since she'd moved into the city and there hadn't been any change since that first night. Her smell had been the same and there wasn't any wound to show that she'd been bitten. That was the only way possible to change, and even then it had to be someone from the alpha's direct bloodline. It would've had to have been either his father or, however unlikely, his brother who had disappeared years ago.

But if what Marie had told him was true, it meant that it was possible…but it shouldn't have. No one could randomly be born like him or any of his pack. They had to either be born from one of them or changed with a bite; there was no other way.

Idly, Soul recalled the speech Marie had given him while Stein had been tending to Maka. She'd told him everything he'd 'needed' to know and had told him nothing else. No explanation about what was happening to Maka or what they knew about the pack. All they'd told him to do was sit with her and that it would help her quickly get better.

As they'd said, she'd started to improve only moments after he'd sat down. So he'd decided to sit there for a while and was calmed by the sound of her rhythmic heartbeat, steady and strong.

"Soul?" Slowly Soul opened his lidded eyes and scowled as he saw that it was Marie—who still wouldn't tell him anything about what he thought he needed to know. "It's almost nightfall and we don't want to be keeping you too long. She'll be fine, Soul. And we'll be sure to check on her throughout the night."

"And why should I trust people who won't tell me anything?" Soul growled in reply, picking himself up from the chair as he roughly pulled on his jacket. "I'll be back as soon as I can sneak away. I don't know when I can but keep the a spare key outside for me." And with that he marched out, at least careful not to push the pregnant woman as he left.

When she heard the door close with a definite 'click', Marie sighed and looked back into the hallway to find Stein watching her with exhaustion etched in his features. "When I remember how we met I find myself feeling bad for such a young man. He's a few years younger than you when we first met and I remember how…_stressful _it was. I just hope that they get some kind of happy ending."

Stein walked closer before looking into the room, checking on the snoozing girl. "I'm sad to say that anyone like us will have a long road before they'll have time for their own. And sadly, it's only just started for the two of them."

*SOUL EATER*

Maka woke up to an unfamiliar room, what little light shining through the room revealing it to be very early in the morning. Slowly she sat up, rubbing at her eyes as she looked around. It was the room Marie had showed her the first night they'd invited her to dinner and Maka was puzzled as to why she had stayed the night.

Then the memories of the night before came rushing back to her and she became a little lightheaded as she remembered what had happened. She had gotten woozy and had blacked out right after Soul had walked into the store. She couldn't remember anything else and guessed that Soul had helped get her upstairs so Marie could get Stein to check on her.

Maka took her time getting up, careful that she didn't have another episode. She tried to be quiet as she left the room and tiptoed down the hallway—only to find, not only Marie, but also Stein sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. The smell was divine, making her stomach growl as she approached.

As soon as her stomach sounded Stein looked up and nodded, as if confirming to himself that she was there. "I was just about to go in and check on you before work. Are you feeling any better? No side effects, light headedness, nausea, equilibrium problems?" He asked, watching as she shook her head. "It'd be a good idea if you eat since you slept through dinner. It'll help get rid of any weakness or tired feeling."

"Actually," Maka started, grimacing as her stomach growled again. "I was wondering if I could head home before I go to work. I'd like to get changed and freshen up before I came back."

"Maka, you don't need to come in today. I know you're probably not feeling too good and I can call in one of the other girls if you want some rest," Marie replied, watching her with worry. "Go home, shower, get some rest and relax for the day. It'll be well deserved. I don't want you collapsing again."

But Maka shook her head, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "If I stay at home I'll be restless and I'll feel like I'm not doing what I'm supposed to. So I'd feel better if I come back so I could do _something_," Maka replied, watching as Marie and Stein shared a look, a silent conversation conspiring between them. Marie looked worried, more than Maka had seen before, and Stein looked almost as bad.

Finally, Marie looked back at her with a smile that, to Maka, looked fake. "Well, if you're sure, I guess that you could come back and work, if you're really sure. But how about you let Stein drive you, just to make sure you don't black out when you're driving? And if you're okay by the end of the day, Stein will decide if you can drive home or not. I don't want you getting hurt if it's because we let you," Marie reluctantly replied, looking extremely wary. It reminded Maka of her mom back when she'd been more worried about her family than their image back home.

Realizing what they were doing, Maka smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thanks mo—Marie. I promise I'll try to be fast. You're okay with driving me doctor?" Maka playfully asked, grinning as he laughed. "I just hope I don't make you late for work."

"I don't really have to be into the hospital until ten but I like to go early so I can help out. My wife just wanted me to get up so I could check on you. So, how about we finish breakfast and then we'll start driving," Stein suggested, watching with a grin as Marie hurriedly began making breakfast for the petite girl. "And I don't suggest fighting Marie when she's trying to feed you. It's easier if you just go along with what she says."

Within minutes the three of them were all sitting down and talking while Maka began eating what Marie put in front of her. She ate up every bite and was even able to drink some coffee. The smell didn't send her stomach roiling and it wasn't too bitter like it had been for the past week. So she happily gulped down a mug and snacked on some toast and syrup.

"Okay so if you're ready, how about we start heading that way. I'm guessing you want to be back before the store opens?" Stein suggested, wiping his mouth as they both stood up. Maka nodded and gave Marie a small wave as she followed Stein towards the door that led to the store. "We'll be back in about an hour; I'll make sure to bring her back in one piece."

*SOUL EATER*

As soon as he'd gotten home Soul had headed straight for his room. He'd only taken time to shower before he fell into bed. He'd been asleep before his head had even hit the pillow and had slept soundly.

But then he'd woken up with a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach and he couldn't help but worry. His thoughts kept straying to Maka but he didn't think it was her that was keeping him on edge. It was something that he couldn't place and it was messing with his head.

Slowly, Soul got up from bed and pulled on a pair of Under Armor shorts and a muscle shirt before slipping on a pair of tennis shoes. As he was walking to the bedroom door he suddenly backtracked, picking up his phone and slipping it into his pocket just in case. He wasn't used to the weight in his pocket since he usually left his phone home so he could run; as a wolf, he had no use for one.

So with the phone in his pocket he slipped out of his room and downstairs, finding the place empty and quiet. It wasn't often that the house was empty but Soul didn't think twice, passing through until he got to the front door.

He was only moments from changing when he saw Blackstar running up to his door, looking frantic as he waved his arms at him. "Blackstar? What the hell are you doing?" He practically growled, trying to cover up the worry he felt at the sight of his friend, breathless, looking up at him with panic.

"No questions, just follow me. It's Medusa," He said. That was all Soul needed before he was running behind Blackstar at a hurried pace.

When they finally arrived, Soul realized that Medusa had gathered not only his family's pack, but also that of Mistress Arachne—while Mistress Shaula's was noticeably absent. The makeshift dirt stage, built for occasions such as these, held the alphas from both packs, along with the two witches themselves. Arachne looked proud, watching her wolves with pride. Medusa looked arrogant, smug as she looked over her pack with an evil little grin. But she wasn't what had Soul frowning in confusion.

"What's that Demongra chick doing up there?" Soul asked, watching the dark haired ginger as she kept her hands wrapped around something, her eyes downcast as she avoided meeting anyone else's. Her hair covered most of her face, hiding her expression from the crowd. She stood off to the side of Medusa, as if waiting for an order.

"No idea. She was there when I got here and hasn't moved since. But that's not the point. How often do the witches get the packs together like this? And why?" Blackstar questioned, bringing Soul down a road he really didn't want to visit. "Any time the two packs meet, there's always tension and they don't like us fighting with each other. Which means it's big."

"It means they're hunting," Soul muttered, crossing his arms as he waited for the witches to start talking. He could already feel the tense atmosphere around him, a blanket of aggression, pent up anger, and dominance—a nasty mix. "I wish I knew—"

"Well, well, it's lovely to see how many of our wolves decided to join us," Medusa spoke into the microphone, sultry and deceiving wrapped into a little evil package. "It's always nice to have my sister's pack with us for such an occasion as this and I can't wait for the time when you will be working together. For the first time in years, you shall be hunting with your sister pack, all for one goal: a girl who is planning to destroy us!" She nearly yelled, getting a loud, angry roar from the crowd.

"I wonder who she's talking about," Blackstar murmured, eyes glued to the stage as they watched Toni, shifting restlessly to and fro. "What girl would plan to take down the packs? The humans already know…" Blackstar trailed off as Medusa turned to Toni, nodding.

And then Toni looked up with a crazy grin and lifted up a tiny, sequined red tank top—the exact tank top that he'd seen the night he'd met Maka. The strap was torn, something he remembered with clarity even through the buzzed stupor. They'd both giggled about it as he'd pulled it off but it hadn't kept their attention for long. He'd seen the top shortly after and had smiled at the memory.

But now, his face dropped and he watched as Toni's eyes lit up, meeting his with a manic smile. "Her scent, for you to hunt her by, and her mark will help to identify her after her capture—or death, should it be too difficult to bring her back alive," Medusa drawled lazily. She raised her hand and what looked like a screen appeared, showing an inky black symbol Soul knew all too well. "Her symbol is a heart with wings, surrounded by rays of sun. It marks her shoulder blades and is as dark as ink. It's unusually dark for a tattoo," She remarked, waving her hand to make the image disappear.

"Any pack member that brings her back alive," Arachne took over, pushing her sister aside with ease. "Shall be greatly rewarded. Dead, there will be little different. Bring her back, dead or alive. That is all we ask. Medusa?"

The snake witch bowed her head and looked across the large gathering, filled nearly to the brim with wolves. "Let the hunt begin!"

Immediately, people began to shift and run right out of the clearing, one after the other, as they began to pick up the scent. Soul stood frozen in place, barely comprehending whatever Blackstar was telling him. "Soul, snap the hell out of it. We need to go somewhere so we can talk," Blackstar hissed, pushing Soul roughly enough that he finally snapped out of it, moving with determined strides away from the clearing.

Within minutes they were out of range of any other wolves and Soul was reaching for his phone that he had, thankfully, grabbed on his way out. "Call Tsubaki, check on her. Maka's been in her apartment before so they might try looking there. Dammit I don't know Stein's number. I'll have to call Maka but—"

"Doctor Stein? I have his number, call Maka while I get him on the line, tell him to watch her," Blackstar replied, surprising Soul enough that if he weren't worrying about his ex-girlfriend's life he'd have jumped and widened his eyes in surprise. But instead he just nodded, frantically looking through his contacts until he found the right one.

*SOUL EATER*

Maka was moments from getting in the shower when her phone rang.

Maka had walked through the door and shown Stein around what little of the house he could see before she had gone to her room to get clothes. She'd even turned on the water and pulled up her hair, removing her shoes as her phone rang on the countertop.

The ringer was loud and shrill in the tiny room, bouncing off the walls and amplifying it enough that Maka cringed. And it was also one of her favorite songs, which meant that it could only be one person calling her. "Soul? Why are you calling?" Maka asked with a frown, dimly remembering that he'd been at the shop when she'd collapsed yesterday. "I'm trying to get ready for work and—"

"Maka, I know this might sound crazy but there are wolves running around the city and I need you to stay away from them at all costs," Soul cut in abruptly, sounding breathless and worried, concern lacing his words. Maka could even detect some panic. "Go to Stein and Marie's, stay with them until I get there. And don't answer the door if it's the last thing you do," He warned.

"Soul, Stein's here to drive me to work. Marie wouldn't let me. And what are you talking about, wolves? Why would there be wolves in the city?" She questioned, turning off her water before the hot water ran out. "And why should you care anymore? I broke up with you," She reminded him, eyes narrowed even though she remembered that he wouldn't be able to see her.

"Maka, do you really think I care about whether or not I'm dating you right now? Just stay with Stein and _don't let anyone in_," Soul repeated, only to be interrupted by the sound of a knock on the front door. Maka didn't pay Soul's warnings any heed, pulling the phone away from her ear as she left the bathroom and began getting closer to the door.

"Soul, I'm going to be hanging up n—" Maka said, only to be knocked aside by Stein who motioned for her to be quiet. "Stein, what are you—?"

Stein snatched her phone out of her hand and put it to his ear as he listened to whatever Soul had to say. "They're already outside so I'm going to try—" from what Maka could hear, Soul cut him off with curses and profanities. "If I don't let them in, they're going to knock down the door and I can't make sure that it's better than answer and surprising." Pause. "Yes, I'd make her hide. I'm not a complete idiot, pup. We'll stay at her apartment until you get here—can't move until we get some kind of cover." Without another word Stein hung up on Soul, shushing her before pointing at the hallway. "Quickly, try to hide somewhere they can't see you. I'll try to be quick."

Silent, Maka nodded and silently walked towards her hallway, behind the turn so whoever was at the door wouldn't be able to see her. She heard the door open and Stein saying something to whoever was there. All Maka could hear was a growl in response before there was, from what Maka could tell, fighting. She could practically hear body hit body, the thud as skin met.

With a little curiosity, Maka looked around the corner to see what was going on. She almost expected to see Stein losing—he didn't seem like the fighting type in her opinion. But instead, she didn't see men fighting. She didn't see _men._ In their place were _dogs_.

They were huge, bigger than any dogs she'd ever seen. Two were varying shades of brown and they seemed to be attacking the bigger grey one, failing as they tried to land any kind of hit they could. The grey was vicious, returning every failed bite or scratch with a successful one of his own. He pushed both of them closer to the corner of the room, pushing them roughly against the wall, effectively knocking them out.

Maka, wide eyed, watched as the grey wolf inspected first the darker wolf and then the light one, sniffing before nodding and turning around. But as soon as he spotted her, he froze. Familiar blue grey eyes stared into her before the wolf sighed—or what Maka could only describe as a sigh—and he began to _change. _

It was the stuff of science fiction and fantasy as Maka watched the transformation from beast to man. Four legs became two arms and two legs, muzzle shortening until the face was practically flat. Fur disappeared, replaced with clothes. The body got longer and less bulky, but still muscular. The ears shifted until they were almost flat against the side of his head.

Maka watched, transfixed, as the wolf became Dr. Stein.

*SOUL EATER*

Soul and Blackstar hadn't wasted anytime, already running, only stopping long enough to change into wolves as soon as he'd finished talking with Stein on the phone. They were headed for the city, ready to interfere with the huge force that was ready to tear down the place looking for their target.

But as they were mid jump across a tiny clearing, Soul felt like he was hit by a wrecking ball as he was knocked aside but something that had been moving fast. He had been tossed, barely managing to roll instead of landing roughly on his side. He came out on his feet, growling at whatever had hit him—only to find himself face to face with sinister, proud eyes of Toni.

They circled each other until Blackstar came crashing into the clearing, ready to defend his alpha. Then the dark, ginger-colored wolf back off, instead giving off a barking laugh that shifted as she did, slowly changing as she did, until her human form was before them. But still she laughed, sounding maniacal as she glared at the two wolves. "My mistresses told me that you would react this way," She cackled, running a hand roughly through her hair before returning it to her arm, which had long, trailing scratches that looked like claw marks, Soul noticed. "You aren't going to hunt, are you Soully? No, you're going to look for _her. _You're going to _help _her, to make sure she's _safe. _But let me tell you: there's no place safe in Death City now, not with your pack on her trail!"

Soul growled, ready to pounce but stopped by Blackstar roughly pushing his shoulder against him. Then he saw his eyes, looking pointedly towards the shadows behind Toni. In them, he saw flickers, quickly moving in the darkness, a brief flash as they stopped to look at him. Blue, green, grey, all kinds of colors surrounded them, but there was one thing about them that caught Soul's eyes.

Every single pair belonged to a member of his pack.

Trying to keep her attention, Soul shifted, towering over the smaller woman. "So you're Medusa's spy. I should've seen that coming," Soul said, more to himself than her. "But what I don't understand is why you? Why would she give me the crazy chick meant for my brother? What was so important that she needed to keep an eye on not only me, but my girlfriend?"

Successfully distracted, the red head laughed. "Your brother was a traitor to our kind and you were not far behind. And your 'girlfriend'," She mentioned, using air quotes with jerky motions that reminded Soul of someone with Huntington's disease. "She's not normal. If she's not stopped—if no one kills her—the packs will fall to disaster. Mistress says that if she's gone, I can be the alpha and rule by her side!" She nearly yelled, a huge grin on her lips as she began giggling.

And then, just as she was about to say something else, the pack attacked.

Wolf after wolf, brown, grey, blonde, and all kinds of pelts mixed together as they rushed the half-crazed red head. In her human form, she stood no chance for the strong, sharp toothed wolves as they ripped into her. It didn't take long before the scent of blood perfumed the air, tangy, smelling sharply of copper. When the wolves finally pulled away, several minutes later, Soul could barely tell that the thing in front of him had ever been human. It was torn and barely recognizable.

But for having tried to kill him only moments before, Soul couldn't feel guilt for what had happened to her. Any guilt he'd started to feel for her had promptly been squashed when he remembered her threats about Maka.

Which reminded him, as a dark blonde wolf slowly walked up to him, her muzzle covered with blood, that he had other things to worry about. The wolf's pelt was spattered with it, almost completely red in some places and only a few specks in others. But Soul knew just who she was and that she had led the charge. "Liz," Soul breathed, relieved as she shifted back to her human form.

She was tall and had a body most girls would die for, and she knew it. She was curvy in a good way, something that most of the women in their pack didn't share, since they burned off so much in a day. Somehow she was able to maintain it. "No one messes with our alpha," She said as she pushed her dark blonde hair out of her face, eyes a hard blue as she accessed the situation. "We need to get rid of the body before one of Medusa's loyalists catch wind of the scent. Harvar, Kim, go with Patty. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes to help. I need to speak with Soul and Blackstar."

An alpha in her own right, none of the others questioned her as they nodded and instantly shifted into humans. Harvar hoisted up the body while the two girls followed. They were gone in moments, disposing of the body while Liz turned back to Soul. "You know we'll always follow our alpha; your pack is behind you, no matter what Medusa might threaten."

Thankful, Soul gratefully pulled her into a hug. "I'm getting a new phone and ditching this one, so answer even if the number looks unfamiliar. You'll know it's me so if someone else answers, hang up. The same will go for Blackstar. We'll be going into the city to protect the girl Medusa is trying to kill," Soul explained as he released her, moving to walk around her when, suddenly, she spoke up.

"Is it worth it?" She whispered, her voice barely loud enough to hear; Soul doubted he would have if he'd been human. "Is it worth being an outcast?"

Without asking, he knew immediately what she was talking about. "It's…complicated. When I'm with her, I'm not an outcast. I'm never alone with her," He murmured, turning away when he heard the faint sound of a shift before she ran off. Then, to Blackstar, "I'm taking off for Maka's apartment. Stein is there and he got a couple of the wolves at the door. You should go to Tsubaki's, make sure no one decided to check her place, just in case."

And without another word Soul, the human, was gone. And in his place was a pure white wolf, a flash of light in the otherwise dark interior of the forest.

**A/N: I'M BAAAAAACK! **

**It's so nice to be writing again. And, to be frank, I've missed you guys! It's been a hard three (or was it four?) weeks without feedback from you guys :( But to make up for it all, I'm giving you guys a free preview of the next chapter—as long as you review of course! So start typing, and I'll try to get the previews out as soon as I can. **

**And really you guys, it was all my fault since I got grounded because of my big mouth. I'm going to try and get the next chapter out really fast, just to make up for it. :D**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**A/N: So much for putting out this chapter quickly…but on the upside, I'm up to ten chapters! YAYZ XD**

To put it mildly, Maka had _freaked_.

At first, it had been a small bit of panic. She had watched Stein change—paws becoming hands and feet, fur and tail disappearing, muzzle shortening and ears shrinking—and her only reaction had been wide eyes and a barely audible gasp.

But that had only lasted a few moments. Then, the real reaction happened.

Maka couldn't remember the last time she'd been this scared or terrified. Actually, she couldn't remember any time when she'd been so scared that she had started to hyperventilate. She suddenly couldn't breathe, gasping for every lungful as she felt her world turned upside down.

Glancing at the grey haired doctor who was trying—in vain—to calm down the petite blonde, Maka couldn't help but wonder if there were more of his…_kind_. Did Marie know what he was? Or even more important, was Marie one of his kind? Or was Maka just crazy? Had the three wolves been part of a hallucination?

After a few more minutes of watching her go crazy, Stein shook his head and stood up before walking into the kitchen. He disappeared for only a few minutes and Maka could hear cabinets being opened and closed, the water running, before he finally appeared with a crystal clear glass filled to the brim. He offered it to her and she took it with very little reluctance.

She downed the entire glass in only a few gulps, hoping it would help. It did, slightly. She was able to breathe again and she concentrated as she tried to get her thoughts straight. Still a little confused, Maka looked up at Stein, feeling a little scared of her answer he'd give to her next question. "So…what are you?"

Sighing, Stein sat on the arm of Maka's sofa, crossing his arms as he looked down at her. "Well, you've probably noticed by now that I'm not exactly human, at least not all the time. I guess the best answer I can give is that I'm werewolf," He stated, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Maka, meanwhile, was silent as she stared up at his crystal blue-grey eyes. The room was completely quiet, when, "I think I'm going to be sick."

*SOUL EATER*

It was less than forty-five minutes later when Soul arrived at Maka's apartment complex. He flew right up the stairs, changing mid stride when he got close. He got to her floor when he smelled the intruders, both who looked like they were contemplating knocking the door down or trying to knock like the others had.

They were swiftly dispatched, first the lanky one with greasy black hair, then the dark chestnut haired one who was only a little bigger than Soul. He didn't even bother hiding them, since they would wake in a few hours, when Soul and Maka would be—hopefully—long gone.

Knocking on the door, Soul's ears nearly perked up when he heard the sounds of retching. It was minutes later, only when Soul had started to get anxious, that Stein opened the door, fixing his tired gaze on the younger wolf. "Go check on her; she's having a hard time," He said, jerking his head in the direction of the bathroom, where Soul could traced the sounds of Maka's distress.

Soul slipped right past Stein without another word, barely remembering to mention that Blackstar would be arriving shortly before he disappeared down the hallway. When he finally reached the bathroom, he peered around the half open door to find Maka leaning over the toilet, losing her breakfast. But when he got there, she looked up, bright green eyes half-lidded with discomfort.

Remembering their last encounter, Soul approached slowly, only to be pleasantly surprised when Maka jumped off the ground and rushed towards him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his mid section as he staggered back, stunned, before returning her embrace. He nearly engulfed her in his arms, she was so tiny. But they fit together, he noticed as he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the embrace he had been missing for the past few days. With her head resting against his chest and his chin on the top of her head as he absently ran his hand through her ashy blonde locks, Soul couldn't imagine anywhere else he'd rather be.

But then he remembered their situation and, reluctantly, pulled her arms length away, looking directly in her emerald gaze as she warily watched him. "Whatever you've seen, I promise I will explain. But right now, we need to get out of here. Pack only essentials. We're going to be leaving as soon as you can finish packing," He told her, placing a quick kiss on her forehead. "I promise, I'll explain everything as soon as I can."

Searching his red eyed gaze, Maka nodded when she found that he was telling the truth."O-okay. I'll…I'll go pack. I'll just be a minute."

Maka scurried off and grabbed the closest bag she could reach before randomly grabbing clothes out of her closet and drawers. She barley remembered her bathroom bag, which included her toothbrush, toothpaste, and everything else she needed in the morning. She didn't risk time checking what she had packed, instead heading straight to the living room when the bag was full.

In the living room she found Soul, tensed up, as he spoke with the otherwise calm Stein. They spoke in hushed tones that Maka could barely understand—which was probably the idea—and only paused when she walked through the doorway leading to the hall. When they looked up, she held up her bag, getting a swift nod from Soul before he walked towards her and promptly took it from her.

"So…what's the plan?" Maka asked, looking first to Soul, then to Stein when the white haired man wouldn't answer her.

"We're heading to the apartment in my car; Soul will be following, to ensure that any other wolves don't follow. Blackstar should be joining us soon, but there's no guarantee when; we haven't been able to get a hold of him since he left to check on Tsubaki," Stein informed her, and Maka gasped.

"Why would Tsubaki be in danger?" She quickly asked, looking for some kind of answer when Soul shook his head. "Why won't you tell me? Is it bad?"

Again, Soul just jerked his head from side to side, giving her this pained look—as if it pained him to keep things from her. "It's not my secret to tell you. If she wants to tell you about it, she'll do it herself. Now come on, before anymore wolves catch up to you. I'm surprised we haven't run into more than we have," He murmured as he checked outside the windows, only unlocking the door when he made sure there was no one else waiting to ambush them.

Soul turned back to Maka, planning to tell her and Stein to hurry for the car, when he suddenly whirled around and came face to face with a large, snarling wolf lunging towards him.

Before anyone could react, the wolf gave a high pitched yelp as it was thrown sideways in mid-lunge, attacked by a larger, blue grey wolf who had planted his jaws around its windpipe. Not far behind was a dark brown-black wolf with dark eyes who stopped near the door, looking serene as she watched the blue wolf dispatch the aggressive attacker.

Soul nearly growled in frustration before he turned to console Maka—who already looked like she was making a connection.

"Tsu-Tsubaki?" She whispered, looking utterly surprised while, at the same time, devastated. "How…how many do I know?" She asked Soul suddenly, flinching as she heard a yelp and growl from in front of her apartment. Soul pulled her back inside, shutting the door as he opened his mouth to explain.

"This isn't the place for this conversation," Stein suddenly interrupted, his eyes only flickering away to watch as Tsubaki appeared at the door, her long hair trailing in one straight, slightly wild wave down her back. She had scratches across the left arm that looked no younger than weeks old, but Soul knew had to have happened earlier in the day. "If we have time when we get to the house, someone can explain to her there. But for now, we need to head out if we will have any chance of getting past the hordes of wolves looking for her now."

"Don't you think it would be smart to fill her in on what's happening before she's pushed into the middle of this?" Surprisingly it wasn't Soul that stood up for the shell-shocked blonde; instead, the dark haired Tsubaki stood tall, looking powerful enough that Stein was surprised he wasn't looking up to _her_. If Soul didn't do something about the she-wolf, he'd have a run for his money when it came to his pack. "She has no idea what's going on and is in the middle of something she doesn't understand. Hell, I barely understand and Blackstar's been teaching me for months. She needs someone to help her get through this, _now_, before things go too far."

Silence reigned as everyone contemplated Tsubaki's words; Blackstar even picked up on the mood when he silently slunk inside. No one knew what to say, besides the obvious, _we need to go_.

"If Soul chooses, he can ride in the car and attempt to explain. But we need at least two people outside, following the car, at all times. Soul?" Stein murmured, carefully watching as the Alpha mulled it over in his head.

"We need protection more than an explanation," He finally decided, giving Maka a sorry expression that she returned with an understanding nod. "Tsubaki, Blackstar, you two will tail the car while I watch out for any incoming threats. If too many wolves get past us they can stop the car by sheer power. Since we're going to run into some that are disguised as friends, do not let anyone past. The only one who might follow would be Liz and it's still a slim chance that she decided to. She's worried about protecting the others right now," He explained as he felt the warm sensation of Maka's eyes watching him, over-thinking as she listened to him. "Right now, I'm only worried about getting Maka to Stein's, safely. Understand?"

Blackstar and Tsubaki both nodded before they both turned to look at Maka, giving her sorry glances before Blackstar shifting, sprinting for the door. "I'll explain later," Tsubaki mouthed, hesitating only to nod in her direction before she had shifted as well, turning into a dark brown wolf with fur that was much longer than her grey counterpart, Blackstar.

Stein took that as his cue to leave, leaving a tiny opening in the door to signal that they needed to hurry. But before Soul could say anything, Maka rushed Soul, wrapping her arms around his neck. Slightly stunned, Soul reacted suddenly, wrapping her tiny frame within his embrace. She tucked her head in the crook of his neck, her blonde locks like cold silk against his heated skin.

"I promise," Soul whispered in her ear, his voice rough and deep. "As soon as we get you somewhere safe, I'll explain everything. But for now, I need you to go with Stein. Do everything he tells you. Stay safe. We'll be right behind you and, I promise, I'll be there to explain everything. I won't let anything happen to you, not before…"

The words were heavy and Maka could hear the words left unspoken, hanging between them, heavy as lead. "I'll hold you to it," Maka replied, pulling away and looking up at him with gleaming emerald eyes. "Come back so you can keep your damn promises."

And finally, for the first time in too long, Maka pushed herself onto the tips of her toes and kissed him, allowing herself this one moment. It was almost better than she remembered, heat and want and need all wrapped up in a blissful, muscular package. It was only with great restraint that she finally pulled away, panting slightly.

Finally they both pulled away and Soul took a couple of steps back, trying to hold back the urges for a few more minutes. Maka could feel his muscles tense and ripple underneath his skin, fighting to break free. "Go out to the car after me. Go _straight_ to the car. Don't stop for anything, okay?" Soul questioned her, red eyes blazing and burning right through her. It took some guts to meet his gaze, but Maka never looked away, emerald meeting ruby with a nod. "Good. Stein already took your stuff. Hurry."

Maka called out after him as he finally, completely pulled away but he was gone before she could even finish saying his name. Without anything else to do, Maka followed outside and hurried to the car. As she had suspected, he had disappeared completely, no trace of Soul to be seen.

Instead, watching from between Blackstar and Tsubaki was a white wolf. He was the tallest of the three, a few inches taller than Blackstar, and his pelt was snowy white. It was nearly perfect, besides the cross-shaped scar that marred his broad chest. He was big and muscular and his thick fur made him looked even bigger than her really was. But what really startled Maka wasn't its size or its color. It was his eyes.

They were blood red.

"I've seen that wolf before," Maka murmured quietly, her hand moving to cover her mouth in a silent gasp.

"Hmmm?" Stein inquired as he started the car. The car rumbled and tremors went up Maka's spine; she wasn't sure if they were from the car or chills.

"The day I finally moved into my apartment. Tsubaki dragged me to that club, Howl. We went through the back and she left me alone for two seconds and…and I saw what I thought was a huge dog. I forgot about it after a few drinks and the other things that happened but…I remember it. That's…that's him, right? Are a lot of them like that? Do they always look so alike?"

Stein shrugged as they pulled out. "A lot of them retain some of their human traits. Pelts usually resemble some variation of hair color along with builds and eyes resembling each other. But in the alpha family, it seems to be taken to the extreme. I've seen one wolf with a golden blonde pelt and sky blue eyes, tiny little thing—an exact copy of her human self," He told her, but his words faded in the background as Maka watched the wolves in the rearview mirror.

With a jerk of his head, the two smaller wolves slunk away, moving smooth like water. But they were nothing compared to the grace of the larger white wolf, who started in a lope before speeding up to a run that easily kept up with the black vehicle. When Maka turned her head to look out of either side window, she could see the pelts of her two other protectors.

With the rumbling of the engine, Maka watched as her apartment disappeared behind her. And without another word, she turned around in her seat and kept her eyes glued to the road ahead.

**A/N: So, sorry this update is late. Junior year is kicking my butt and I'm just trying to get by as well as I can. So far I'm doing great, all A's and one B. I just hope I can keep it up.**

**Unfortunately, this next update probably won't be put up pretty soon because of approaching mid terms, fine arts projects, and pics that need to be done for an art competition for Beta club. But know that I try to write as much as possible and will be trying! **

**Send me a review and tell me about what you think of the **_**entire **_**story so far, now that we're at ten chapters. Do you think the story's going too fast? Is the plot or any character annoying you? I would really like to know! **

**Also, I might be looking for a beta reader for not only this story, but others that I might be working on, so either review or pm me if interested. **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**A/N: I am writing to you on the day of my birthday, December 5. And I am now officially seventeen, meaning I can buy spray paint, buy m rated games, and go see r rated movies. Oh, how great this day is XD **

**And guys, I'm almost ten reviews away from one hundred reviews, which is the best I've ever done for any of my stories. Can we try to get those ten reviews and I promise that, for the person that gets the hundredth review, I'll definitely send them an extended preview of the next chapter. But everyone that reviews definitely gets a preview, so review people!**

They'd driven in almost complete silence the entire way to Stein's apartment. The only sound that could be heard was the rumbling of the engine and, rarely, the sounds of a fight close to the moving car. Maka was only able to get one glimpse of fur flying before they had moved on, relieving her of the sight.

The ride to the apartment was long in comparison to the life Stein had given her earlier that morning. With her emotions frayed and her thoughts scattered, it seemed liked forever before they finally pulled up in front of the bookstore. And even long still until Soul and the others slid out from the alleys, slipping from the shadows as their watchful eyes scanned everything.

"We should get inside," Stein's emotionless voice pulled Maka out of her stupor as she nodded, getting out of the car and slamming it with a little extra 'umph' before she nearly sprinted for the door.

The doctor was quick to let her in, along with the wolves who followed faithfully behind. For a moment, Maka let herself study them, noticing that Tsubaki, the smallest of the three wolves, was still large enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with a small pony. Their pelts were thick and, except for Blackstar, were perfect matches with their hair color.

As Stein closed the door to the shop behind Soul—trailing behind with his ears perked back, flicking with every sound that he heard—he motioned upstairs without a sound. He put a finger over his lips, signaling for them to be quiet as they headed up the steps behind the two remaining humans—or, Maka reminded herself, one remaining human and one wolf disguised as a human.

Once they were all through the door, Stein finally sighed and shrugged off his white doctor's coat, just as Marie walked into the room with a smile that quickly faded at the sight of Maka and the wolves.

"Oh my…what happened?" Marie asked, rushing towards Maka with outstretched arms that pulled her into a hug that instantly began to calm her down. "You three can go into one of the other rooms to change back," She murmured to the wolves without looking at them, only pulling away from Maka enough to meet her eyes. "Honey, you should probably go lay down in the guest room, try to calm down a little bit. I'll bring you some tea. Do whatever you need to relax. You know our home is open to you, anything you need."

Jerkily, Maka nodded and turned away, heading straight for the hallway. It was only moments before she was inside the warm spare room, looking for a towel and hoping that there were clothes left around. All she could find was an oversized shirt, left folded in a tiny drawer.

Meanwhile, Maka could hear the soft footsteps of the wolves, the pads of their feet silencing the sounds. She attempted to ignore it, moving to the bathroom and running herself a bath, drowning out the background noise in the process.

She stripped out of her clothes and sighed as she tested the water, reveling in the scalding hot warmth that spread through her as she lowered herself in. Her tense muscles relaxed, her mind slowing down as she let the day's events run through her head. It was a lot to sort through—and it was only nine o' clock in the morning.

With a sigh, Maka stared into the clear water, sitting in the middle of the tub when there was a knock on the bedroom door. She could pick out the strong scent of the special tea that Marie made, along with another smell that Maka would never be able to forget.

"Come in," She softly called out, not looking up until she heard his footsteps at the door. When she met his eyes, she saw the unease in his ruby eyes and the way they looked away from her. Polite. Trying to avoid looking at her for too long.

"Um…Marie was going to bring you some tea but I…uh…I offered to do it. Thought it would give us a chance to talk. But if you're busy—" The words tumbled from his mouth in a rush, worried that he'd overstepped some boundary.

Maka shook her head, jerking her chin towards the counter. "Just put it up there. And it's not like you haven't seen me like this before," She quietly reminded him with a ghost of a smile as she watched the corner of his lips quirk in that way they did when he was trying to hide a smirk. But it faded as she murmured, "But Soul…we need to talk. All of this…why didn't you tell me?" She asked as he gently put down the metal tray that carried a pot and some cups. She could smell the too-sweet scent of sugar and the softer, calmer scent of milk and cream.

Sighing, Soul leaned against the counter, crossing his arms as his darkened red eyes avoided hers. "When I finally realized that I wanted to tell you…you were finally getting used to the city. You got a job, you were becoming ingrained in the city itself. And if I would've told you…let's just say we would be running away from all of this. A life on the run, staying away from anything that has to do with this city or the people inside of it. I didn't want any of this for you…for us."

"But why not warn me? Tell me about the slim chance that I might have hundreds of animals looking for me? Don't you think I might have decided that running away _would be worth it_?" Maka replied, her voice raised enough that she knew every wolf in the living room could likely hear her through the walls. "Soul, I'm…I'm terrified. For the first time in my life, I'm terrified and I don't know how to deal with this. And the person I need with me…he's been lying to me since I've met him."

Within moments, Soul was kneeling next to the tub, his hand reaching for her cheek. "I thought that all of this was to protect you. But I should've known; the packs have a way of knowing everything that goes on in this city," He murmured, pulling her closer as her emerald eyes gazed right into his. "I know I should have told you but…I still don't like running. It's against every instinct screaming at me, but I won't risk losing you…never. I love you too much," He told her quietly, pulling her closer.

His lips were only inches away, Maka could hear her inner voice murmuring inside of her head. And before she knew it, she leaned forward and her lips met his in a frenzied, heated kiss. She could feel the scrape of his sharp teeth as he bit at her bottom lip, pulling and tugging. Soul pulled her to her feet, dripping water as she stepped out of the tub, turning her towards the sunk and lifting her up. He stood between her legs as she wrapped them around his waist, grasping and pulling at his clothes, only pulling away to remove his shirt, throwing it somewhere in the bathroom.

But then, Maka felt a sensation that she couldn't remember feeling before. Her gums itched for a moment before she felt the sudden pain of something cutting her lip, pulling away suddenly to look in the mirror—which was when she gasped.

Slightly pulled out of his stupor, Soul opened his eyes to find Maka looking behind her at something. Then he felt his plummet as he saw her terrified, glazed stare in the mirror as she watched her reflection. Her hand slowly lifted, a lone finger reaching and touching her overgrown teeth—which were now longer and, her canines especially, much sharper.

When Maka finally looked away from her face, she looked down and could see fur—_fur_—growing up her shoulder blades and cresting over her shoulders, trailing down her arms before stopping right before her elbows. Unable to see below her shoulder blades—where her tattoo remained, bare of fur—she didn't even want to contemplate what was happening.

"Maka…" Soul murmured worriedly, putting his hands on her shoulders before she started to tear up. He noticed idly that the fur on her shoulders was soft, reminiscent of silk. "Hey, look at me Maka, talk to me."

She looked up at him with tears pooling in her green eyes, looking like she was only moments from breaking down. "Soul, what…what's happening to me? Why is this happening?" She nearly cried, pulling out of his grip only to feel his arms wrapping around her. "Please tell me that…that I'm not…"

Things were quiet for a few minutes as Soul stiffened, trying to think of something good to say that wouldn't upset her. "Maka…you've got to realize that…I didn't know that any of this was possible. And…no one's ever heard of this. The only one I've ever seen was Tsubaki and I only found out about a week ago—"

"Do you mean you knew about this all along?" Maka asked as she pushed him away, glaring at him as she grabbed her towel to cover up. In the back of her mind, she was harshly reminded of her situation as she felt the scratch of her towel against the fur that was still growing along her arms and back, itching where it grew. "You—you can't tell me you didn't know!"

"I might be an alpha's son, but we're left in the dark about some things for a reason. I think it's the very reason why they're searching for you now—I didn't want to scare the shit out of you when you just got through finding out about our existence!" Soul replied, his voice harsh and loud as Maka's voice rose. "I didn't know about any of this until yesterday, when you fainted and you started sprouting fur. I was scared half to death when I saw that you were changing, which would have meant I was supposed to give you to the damn sisters to deal with. You would have been given to a pack if you had survived the process of testing; they would have tested you until you couldn't do anymore and even then, you might not have ended up in my pack—and you definitely wouldn't have been mine. As an alpha's son—the future alpha—my mate was already picked out for me, just like everyone else in the pack. I couldn't risk losing you to some other pack and leaving you to one of the witches."

Maka looked up at him with a fading glare, her fright and terror fading away, along with the anger. "Is that why you're so important, because you're an alpha's son?" Her questioning gaze pierced right through him, the gaze of an alpha looking to clear up some kind of mess. He couldn't remember how often he'd seen his dad use the same look on the other members of the pack, along with a younger Wes when he'd screwed up.

Uncomfortable, Soul shifted from foot to foot as his hand scratched the back of his neck. "Well…yeah. And while my father leads the pack, like I should in the future, we still have someone above us. We call them the sisters, mistress when in front of them. They're witches and they're very powerful. As the next Alpha, I've been shown just what they can do. After what I've seen, I can't go against them without thinking of the huge risk I'm taking."

"So why are these wolves chasing me? What am I to your 'packs' that I'm being chased down?" She quietly inquired, her anger falling with time.

"_I don't know_," Soul whispered as he looked at the ground, unable to meet her eyes. "Don't you think that I would be doing everything I could possibly do to keep you safe if I knew what they were chasing you for? Unlike human relationships in the past, they didn't say anything about our connection or relationship, didn't call me out in front of the packs. This is something that Medusa wants done because it _threatens _her, along with her sister."

As Maka went to reply, Soul suddenly brightened as a wide smiled spread across his face. "Soul, what are you—"

"Hurry up and get dressed. We need to talk to Stein."

*SOUL EATER*

It had taken a few moments to really wash off before Maka had deemed herself clean enough to get dressed in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of her shorts that Maka had somehow left behind in the past few days that Maka had spent at the house. She pulled up her hair in a simple bun to attempt keeping it out of her eyes, but her bangs—curse Tsubaki for giving her bangs—kept on falling down and right into her eyes.

When she was finally finished, she walked out of the bathroom to find Soul sitting on her bed, waiting for her to finally emerge. He was quick to jump up and walk at her side, grasping her hand—surprising Maka after the almost-fight that they'd had in the other room. But even after she'd given him a stunned look, he'd walked on with her tiny hand inside his huge grasp, leading her back to the living room where Stein, Marie, Blackstar, and Tsubaki waited for them.

They all looked up when they entered the living room, the strong smell of coffee overpowering Maka's senses. She nearly gagged from the scent but tried her best to hide it as Soul pulled them into the middle of the room.

"I just remembered something about the speech Medusa and Arachne gave during the Hunt," Soul excitedly told all of them, his ruby eyes bright. "They never said anything about me or Maka being together, meaning that they were looking to hunt only _her._"

"That's a rather large assumption," Stein retorted dryly, hands clenched around a large coffee mug that Maka knew was filled with coffee instead of the tea that Marie was always making. "But it does explain why no one's tried hunting you down. Or she could simply be saving you, as the last remaining heir in the alpha's bloodline, if I remember correctly."

Soul shook his head, his sharp teeth peeking through his smile. "Even if I'm the last alpha, she'd have given me some kind of punishment in front of the rest of the pack and locked up so I couldn't leave to help. They must've not known about us, or thought that I wouldn't help her after…but it doesn't matter. There is something about Maka that is a threat to the sisters that they want gone. And the sisters don't want to deal with it, so they sent the wolves to do their own job."

"That does make some sense," Blackstar finally added, his quiet striking Soul as strange. "Any time someone recalls an alpha breaking that law, there's been some kind of punishment given before the hunt. It's…tradition, of sorts. But this seemed more like neutralizing a threat." He pointed out, his blue eyes dark with contemplation as Tsubaki sat at his side, rubbing a hand comfortingly up and down his arm.

"There's very little that scares the sisters, pup. And that you haven't mentioned Shaula, does that mean…"

"She's not with the other sisters. For some reason, she's branched away from them and wasn't there to help them during the hunt," Blackstar reported immediately, ever the faithful beta. "No mention of her pack has been reported and it usually means that they're feuding. It's happened, what, once or twice in the past century?"

"It's not exactly common that the sisters feud, but it happens more often than you'd think. After the last hunt, it was shortly after that Shaula pulled away from her sisters before reconciling with them on the pretense of presumptuous thinking. It's only recently that she's pulled away again and I think I understand why," Stein contemplated, absently taking a sip of his scalding hot coffee as Maka caught Tsubaki's eye. Like her, she looked somewhat confused, but still not nearly as much as Maka.

Soul's grip on Maka's hand tightened, a sign that he still knew she was there at his side. "And what would that be?" Soul snarkily replied, his lips set in a sneer for this man that he had known only for a few days who, somehow, knew all of the packs' secrets. In his head, the grey haired man was an outsider, a lone wolf, who had no right to be among them—instincts, stuffed down his throat since he was nothing but a cub.

"Shaula wants Maka's help to help kill her sisters."

**A/N: Dun dun **_**dun**_**. **

**Who saw that coming? Huh, huh? **

**So, yes, Shaula is good-ish for the moment. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Well, Shaula seems to be thinking that, although there is a serious flaw in her plan since she thinks she can control how everything happens. But she's wrong. **

**Shaula's pack is going to be a big part of the story, seeing as how they're pretty much going to be around them for quite a few chapters. But here's the thing: I have no idea what to name the people in her pack. I'm thinking I'll be bringing in the characters from Soul Eater Not! I'll just have to remember their names all over again since I haven't read it in forever. So how about some Tsugumi alpha-ness? Or at least, I'm thinking she's going to be the alpha's only daughter who is friends with Anya and Meme, Akane is her meant-to-be mate who is trying **_**not **_**to be with her, just to avoid obeying the witches even thought he **_**does **_**like her. So, lots of drama including Shala's pack. **

**Oh, and I recommend looking up Ed Sheeran if you haven't already found him. Phenomenal song writer and singer. Also, look up The Wanted songs, including Lightning and I Found You. Much better than their mainstream songs. They're all on my writing playlist, so you can pretty much thank them for this chapter XD**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A/N: Again, the offer still stands for an extended preview for whoever sends in the hundredth review. With how many hits I'm getting for this story, it should be a piece of cake to get ten measly reviews. So review people!**

The news went over with stunned silence, something that surprised Maka since they had all been talking with vigor only moments before. Tsubaki seemed to have a similar reaction to her friend, a questioning glance focused first on the alpha before flickering worriedly back to Blackstar.

The silence only remained for a few more moments before Soul growled, shaking his head. "I will _not _let Shaula get her hands on Maka or any of my pack. I'd sooner die than see Maka under her control," He snarled aggressively, not even backing up when Stein stood up, almost two inches taller than the younger wolf.

"You might not have a chance, pup. She might be your only chance at saving your mate," Stein replied evenly, his icy blue eyes never backing down from Soul's. "Think this over. Shaula has never been a harsh mistress, never punished her pack unnecessarily. She gives a choice to most of her pack. If you were to hide among them, with her permission, you'd be ten times safer than if you attempted to hide in the city. Be logical," His voice thundered throughout the apartment, causing Maka to flinch from the volume.

Cautiously, Marie stepped forward before placing a careful hand on her husband's chest. "It's their right," She murmured quietly, her whispers meant only for Stein. "They haven't known the life you do; they need to learn on their own. Let them."

With a sigh of resignation, Stein reluctantly looked back towards Soul with a scowl. "Although it pains me to say it, the four of you do have the right to say no to any plans we come up with. The only route your group has, however, is to hide somewhere that the wolves can't find you. And for that, I'd suggest a safe house. "

*SOUL EATER*

Maka didn't know what had happened to her voice in the past few hours.

After countless conversations about what was the best course of action for their rogue group, Maka's voice seemed to have disappeared. She hadn't uttered a word even though she'd be waiting to give her opinion, her words failing to come out when she'd opened her mouth. Tsubaki, quiet Tsubaki, seemed to be struck with the same affliction, albeit voluntarily.

Tsubaki had watched the men with attentive eyes, drawing in every word they said almost like she was committing it to memory. Maka, on the other hand, was unable to keep track of everything they'd been saying. She'd lost track near the beginning, somewhere between 'witches' and 'mistress'.

It was only when Soul and Blackstar left with Stein that Maka was finally able to find her voice again. "Where…where did they go?" She asked the other two women who were moving towards the kitchen. "They were just talking about some safe house—"

"They went to check it out, just in case some wolves strayed from the city and might have found it. Don't worry; they'll likely be gone for an hour, tops, if they're going to be stocking the place for you four," Miss Marie answered her, a sheepish smile on her lips. "They decided that it would be safest to go alone, just the three of them so that they would have a better chance of sneaking in case the house has already been raided. But I have to admit that, even after so many years, I can't just relax when it comes to him running off and trying to play hero, especially now," Marie murmured, her hand gliding until it landed gently on her extended belly. "It never gets any easier, waiting like this."

"I know what you mean," Tsubaki replied absently, finally moving from the spot she'd been cemented to for what had seemed like hours to the distracted Maka. She moved closer to the two blondes, trying her best to smile despite her frayed nerves. "Today's been a little rough. How are you holding up?"

Maka laughed—a dry, unenthusiastic sound that made Tsubaki wince. "Let's recall the fact that I found out that my boyfriend—or ex, I can't really tell at this point by the way—is apparently a wolf, more wolves are hunting me down, and I'm also turning into one, somehow. And just this morning I thought my day was going so _well_," She sarcastically replied, running her hands roughly through her hair until her bun was falling down her shoulders.

Grimacing, Tsubaki sunk down next to Maka on the couch, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Maka…I know this might not help you, but you're not the only one this has happened to. There are other wolves out there that have become one without being born or created."

"And show me one of them, just one of them," She tersely requested. Maka idly noticed that the itch of the fur had finally faded altogether, although she also realized that some of it had fallen onto the couch. _Not only do I sprout fur, but I've started _shedding _too, _Maka thought to herself with a groan.

"Well," Marie started as Maka heard the clinking sound of ceramics being moved around the kitchen, another cup of tea appearing in front of her on the coffee table. "This might sound hard to believe, but you're looking at one of them right now. Tsubaki became one shortly before you arrived in the city; she and Blackstar came to Stein and I for help when they realized the unique situation they were in and how we could help."

"And as much as Stein tries to hide it, I'm not the only one like you. There are others, hiding in the city; Stein hides them, along with Marie's help. She's the one who helped me the most, telling me how to shift without Blackstar being nearby. It has to do with the relationship between the natural wolf and the Marked—"

"The Marked?" Maka immediately cut her off, the words striking a cord in her memory. "Whenever you talk about the Marked, do you mean inky black marks, like tattoos? Those kind of marks?" Tsubaki nodded, lifting up the side of her shirt to reveal the small black paw print that covered her left hip. "You…you have one too?"

"Yeah. I've had one since I turned sixteen. It was faint at first but it got darker when I got older. I guess you know how much my parents might've flipped out when they saw it, from what you told me about your own parents' reaction. It didn't affect me until I really met Blackstar almost a year ago; it won't, not without your meister, not without some kind of relationship, be it physical or emotional. Just ask Marie," Tsubaki mentioned, turning to face the pregnant blonde.

Surprised, Maka turned to the woman with wide eyes. "Miss Marie, you mean…?"

"That I'm one of the Marked? Yes, I am. My mark is discreet, on the bottom of my foot—I barely even noticed it until I almost turned seventeen. Of course I thought it was strange, but nothing started happening until I moved to the city, closer to the packs. Some strange dreams, but nothing that I thought was strange. Meeting Stein was what eventually led to me becoming one of them, although it wasn't exactly willing. When you reach a point with your wolf, a differing point for every pairing, there is no turning back. When you turn, you turn, no matter what you might want. Luckily, after getting an explanation though, I was able to learn before I was thrust into a world that I didn't know anything about."

"So Stein…he told you everything? He didn't care about the…the _pack_?" Maka inquired, the word leaving a strange taste on her tongue, feeling so strange to talk about in reference to Soul—who, only a few hours ago, she had thought that he had been _human_. "He told you about what he was?"

"Well," Marie began quietly, sitting at Maka's side as she took a hold of Maka's hand, patting it in reassurance. "Stein wasn't in the same position that Soul was. As an alpha, Soul was likely being watched frequently and closely, to prevent rebellion and to quell the idea before it became possible. Stein, on the other hand, wasn't as important. To Medusa, Stein and I weren't a priority in comparison to the priority she would have made of the two of you, since it would have been a sign of weakness on her part if it ever happened. Stein had more room to work while Soul, on the other hand, was putting not only himself, but also you at risk by simply talking to you."

"It doesn't matter!" Maka rebuked in annoyance, pulling away. Restless, her feet started moving without her notice, pacing back and forth across the living room. Tsubaki and Marie's eyes followed her worriedly, grimacing as they watched. "If he was so worried, he should've just told me, given me some kind of warning."

"They would've known of the betrayal Maka. The punishment would have only become worse," Marie pointed out sadly as she pushed aside her golden blonde hair, baring her scarred eye. "My eye was only a portion of the punishment I managed to escape. They were going to kill me and most likely would have if it weren't for Stein arriving when he did. It was only his intervention that stopped his former pack members from killing me. For you, it was planned so that Soul wasn't supposed to know; she planned on killing you, Maka, making sure that he wouldn't stop them."

"Blackstar stopped him from leaving for his daily run on the pack's property, far away from the city. Some of his closest pack members helped him to get out and help you," Tsubaki informed her. "It wasn't an easy task to accomplish."

And with that, Maka held her tongue. Fighting against the retorts, she sat on the couch and tried to stay still while Tsubaki and Marie milled around, trying to keep busy until the others came back. But the nervous energy finally got the best of her as she began to organize everything in the house—from the books that were lying around to the glasses sitting around the kitchen and living room, freshly used.

Inside, Maka knew that Soul had meant well. Keeping her out of it as much as possible, it was supposed to keep her out of trouble. But god help her, she felt useless while he attempted to keep her safe.

It was only a half an hour after their conversation that Maka's ears caught the sound of someone at the stairwell door. Somehow, she knew that it was only the guys, including Soul, Blackstar, and Stein, watching as they all filed in with Soul in front, his features marred by a grimace.

"Did the three of you find the cabin okay? Any problems?" Marie quietly inquired as she went up to her husband, her eyes filled with worry. "The three of you weren't gone for very long."

Soul sighed as he collapsed on the couch, rubbing a hand roughly through his snowy hair before looking up at the others. "The cabin was already surrounded by wolves. They nearly ambushed us—would have if it weren't for Blackstar's hearing. We barely managed to fight them off. But they didn't follow us, thankfully. We lost them at the border of trees on the edge of the city."

"So what?" Maka piped up, walking into the living room with her arms crossed, her eyes shrouded with worry. "We just stay here, moping around until some crazy dogs come looking for us?" She tersely questioned, her annoyance clear as Soul growled at the outburst.

"Of course not, but we don't have anywhere else to go!" He barely managed to hold back his snarl, his alpha instincts kicking in around the changing woman. "You don't understand how dangerous—!"

"And who decided to keep this all hidden from me, huh?" Maka replied, her temper beginning to shorten as her cheeks flushed and her eyes turned dark. "If you hadn't kept it all a secret, we could be long gone by now. We could be somewhere that they'd never find us."

"I was trying to avoid all of this!" The retort was short lived for Soul, who narrowly avoided a fist to the side of his head—a fist complete with fingers that had sprouted claws within the short time that they'd been arguing. "As much as you dislike it, we can't just pick up and move without some kind of plan. It could be suicide for us, for everyone else. I won't endanger anyone else, I _can't._"

For a second, Soul though Maka was ready to fight back. But then she looked at Soul's eyes, filled with despair. He just wanted the best for her, for everyone.

So finally, she dropped her eyes and let her defensive stance fall, her voice a whisper as she replied, "Fine. I understand. Then make plans and let's go. We shouldn't be here any long that we have to be."

*SOUL EATER*

After Maka slipped away to her guest room—shortly after their brief argument—Soul hurried to create some kind of plan with Stein so he could go and console her. It was rushed and he found himself agreeing with Stein more often than he would if he weren't hurrying to go and talk to his—ex?—girlfriend. He couldn't even tell anymore.

Then Stein brought up the damn witch Shaula again, nearly pushing him over the edge. But he bit back his anger and impatience, instead looking up at Stein with darkened crimson eyes. "Shaula's pack shouldn't be an option at this point."

"But it's our only option," Stein pointed out, ringing with a matter-of-fact tone that had Soul fighting against the growl building in his chest. "Shaula can hide all of us, give us refuge. She'll only look for allegiance in defeating her sisters and nothing else. To have another pack's alpha on her side, she would be in your debt. It would push others to rebel, starting a rebellion."

"I doubt my presence as her pet would help anything," Soul muttered, running a hand through his already messy white hair.

"Just think about it. It could be refuge for a while and could keep not only the six of us safe, but even the rest of the pack that you trust. Think about it," Stein told him, retreating to the living room where his wife was resting on the couch, running a hand absently on her extended belly. Soul watched as her face lit up with a smile, almost like Maka's before everything had happened.

Sighing, Soul turned to find Blackstar looking worried, his eyebrows creased in deep thought. "You think that he's telling the truth? Could it be some kind of trap?"

Soul shrugged. "There's no reason for him to betray us. He's proposing bringing his wife—his _pregnant_ wife—to this place. I don't think he'd risk her unless he knew he'd be safe. Either he's telling the truth and it's safe for all of us, or he's bringing us to deceive us."

"But do we really have that many options?" Blackstar reminded him, his eyes flickering to Tsubaki's sleeping form, her head resting on her arms at the dinner table. "Go talk to Maka. Relax for a few minutes before we make any kind of decision."

Nodding, Soul finally pushed away from the table they'd been standing at for nearly half an hour, planning, and headed for the closed hallway door that Maka had slipped through earlier. He knocked and wouldn't have heard the whispered "come in" if not for his sensitive hearing.

He walked in to find Maka lying on the bed, the blanket pulled up to her chin. She was rubbing sleep from her eyes, her now ginger-tinted blonde hair mussed from sleeping. When she yawned, Soul could spot her sharper-than-normal canines, almost as big as a large dog's. They quickly shrunk back to their original, human size, which was still slightly larger than normal. But Soul couldn't judge, sporting the same, fang-like incisors like most wolves.

"Sorry, but I fell asleep," Maka muttered, her annoyance still clear as she glared in his direction, her emerald eyes blazing. "Came up with any decisions while I was out?"

Soul shrugged, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "Isn't the reason I came in here. But no, we didn't. We're still thinking about it." He told her, watching as the hardness of her features softened, if only slightly. "I came in here to talk to you. We need to talk."

Maka nodded, pushing the covers back and moving closer. "We've needed to talk since you walked into the store and I fainted. I want some kind of explanation," She murmured. "I think I at least deserve that."

"You do. I think it's long overdue," Soul agreed, turning to look at her, eye to eye. "I've been a part of the pack since birth. Humans aren't welcome in our pack, though I guess I know why now. I've never learned about the Marked or humans turning into wolves. The witches kept it from us, probably because of the whole 'let's take down the witches' plot that Shaula is trying to go through with. I didn't know that they'd target you after you broke it off—which probably would have been safe if you weren't Marked."

"You couldn't have known what this Mark meant. Hell, I told you it was a tattoo, so you couldn't have known," Maka told him. She pushed closer, her grudge forgotten as she put a comforting hand on his arm. The warmth seemed to seep through him, making him shudder from the sensation.

"It was my selfishness that I stayed with you as long as I did. I knew the risks, but it didn't mean anything in the end. You were in danger from the very beginning. Nothing I could have done would've changed that."

"And I guess this changes things," Maka guessed, her eyes sympathetic. "You've been doing all you can to protect me and the others. You still care about me, that much is obvious. I…I want to give you another chance though. I understand there's going to be danger, but there's something about you…maybe it's because I'm Marked, but I don't want to stay away from you, Soul."

And just like that, Soul's arms were around her, pulling her close. Her head tucked under his chin, Maka felt safer than she had in days. His touch instantly warmed her, making her sigh from the comfort his embrace gave her. Maka felt content to just stay there in his arms—his presence the only thing she needed—but she knew that it couldn't last. And she was proven right when he reluctantly pulled away, taking most of the warmth with him. One hand remained, resting on her knee and rubbing comforting circles with his thumb. It was a tiny spark of warmth, but enough to keep her going.

"So…what are we going to do now?" she inquired with a whisper, her words low enough that Soul was only able to catch because of his sensitive hearing.

"We do the only thing we _can _do," He replied sullenly, sighing in resignation. "We have to go to Shaula."

**A/N: So I finally finished chapter 12! It took a while (y'all can thank school for that, mostly)but it's finally done. **

**Like I said in the beginning, I can't pin down exactly when I'm going to be able to get a chapter out. School is hectic this year because of my dual enrollment English class (essentially, I'm a college student in a college class but I'm still in high school) and the fact that everyone thinks that it's essential to make us work extra hard. The only reason I was able to finish this class was because of my computer class, where I could bring my computer and work on this chapter in my free time. When I get home, it's eat, work, homework, slight free time if I finish homework early, and then sleep when I occasionally manage to talk to friends and others. So my life is definitely full at the moment.**

**I totally didn't mean for this to turn into a rant. Guess that's what happens when you stay up until midnight on the phone instead of sleeping and go to school tired :) Thankfully tonight won't be too busy and I'll be starting this next chapter right after I post this. So hopefully I'll get this next one out in two weeks, tops. If not, I'll try to be faster than this time! **

**And by the way, the offer for an extended preview still stands for the person who puts in the 100****th**** review. We're so close, so I'm gonna make another offer: You put in the 100****th**** review and you can ask me 3-5 questions about the entire story line (even into the next story, which is about the same plot: destroying and staying safe from the witches) depending on the questions. So review!**


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